What happened to Phillip Schofield and what has he done since This Morning?

Phillip Schofield is set to make his TV return in Cast Away, which promises to share his story in his own words as he is isolated on a desert island for 10 days.

The former This Morning host left ITV under a cloud of controversy last year and has stayed out of the limelight since then, but is now set to open up on his side of events in a new series of the Channel 5 show that leaves celebrities to film their own journey with no camera crew or supplies.

Ruby Wax and Joanna Lumley have both completed Cast Away before, but Monday's episode is set to be particularly fascinating as it marks the first time Schofield has publicly spoken about his career downfall since parting ways with ITV since a BBC interview in June 2023.

As we wait to see what the broadcasting veteran has to offer viewers next week, here's everything that we know so far about what happened to Schofield and what he has done after leaving daytime TV.

Why did Phillip Schofield leave This Morning?

Phillip Schofield was the face of This Morning for 21 years, frequently sharing the story of having been brought in for a trial show and never leaving, so his dramatic exit in May 2023 was huge news in the industry.

A storm had been gathering over the TV presenter for months before he finally cut ties with ITV, including the "queue-gate" row and rumours of a rift with best pal and co-star Holly Willoughby.

Amid reports that the co-stars' relationship was in tatters, he told The Sun: "As I have said before, Holly is my rock. We’re the best of friends — as always, she is an incredible support on screen, behind the scenes and on the phone. Holly has always been there for me, through thick and thin. And I’ve been there for her. The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us." However, Willoughby reportedly felt "blindsided" as she hadn't known the statement was coming.

Read more: Phillip Schofield's TV return

• What we know about Phillip Schofield's shock TV return on Cast Away

• Phillip Schofield sparks fury after revealing TV comeback on Cast Away

• Phillip Schofield’s next move is ‘make-or-break’ for his career future

Then in May 2023, Schofield eventually left the show saying that he wanted it to have a chance to move on away from any stories attached to him. But after his exit, it was revealed that Schofield, who came out on the show during an interview with Willoughby in 2020, had been having an affair with a much younger male colleague on the production team.

Willoughby (who has now left This Morning herself after being targeted by a stalker) denied knowing anything about the affair, and made her now-infamous "are you ok?" speech to the show's viewers as she denounced her former friend and colleague on air.

What has Phillip Schofield said about his ITV exit?

When news of Schofield's exit first broke, he shared an Instagram post with his own statement where he explained: "I have always been proud to cover fascinating stories on This Morning. But recently, This Morning itself has become the story.

"Throughout my career in TV – including the very difficult last few days – I have always done my best to be honourable and kind. I understand that ITV has decided the current situation can’t go on, and I want to do what I can to protect the show that I love.

"So I have agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect, in the hope that the show can move forward to a bright future.

"I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me – especially This Morning’s amazing viewers – and I’ll see you all for the Soap Awards next month."

However, ITV later dropped the long-serving presenter from all of his commitments with them, including hosting the Soap Awards and Dancing On Ice.

In June 2023, he gave an interview to Amol Rajan for the BBC where he denied grooming the This Morning colleague who he had an affair with. Schofield first met the colleague when he was still a student while visiting his drama school but he said the man was 20 years old and working alongside him at ITV when the affair began.

He also said: "I’m not in television any more, I don’t know what I am even remotely – if I get through this. I don’t know even remotely how I move forward – what am I going to do with my days?

"I see nothing ahead of me but blackness and sadness and regret and remorse and guilt."

Schofield also gave an interview to The Sun around the same time, where he admitted his wife Stephanie had been "very, very angry" when he was forced to confess the affair to her. He said that he had apologised to former co-star Willoughby for lying to her about the affair, but that she had not replied.

"I’ve lost my best friend," he said. "I let her down (Willoughby). I let that entire show down. I let the viewers down. Holly did not know (about the affair). And she was one of the first texts that I sent, to say, ‘I am so, so sorry that I lied to you’.

"She didn’t reply and I understand why she didn’t reply, as well. So yeah. If anyone is in any way linking Holly to this; that is ­absolutely, wholly untrue."

What other This Morning controversies was Phillip Schofield involved in?

Schofield's eventual exit came after months of other controversies linked to This Morning that had seen some viewers turn against him.

After the Queen's death in September 2022, Schofield and Willoughby came under fire for appearing to jump the queue at the late monarch's lying in state.

Celebrities including David Beckham and Susanna Reid queued along with the general public for up to 12 hours to pay their respects but the This Morning hosts were accused of skipping the line. They later clarified that they had been joining a media line rather than jumping the queue but Willoughby had to apologise for the optics of it on air.

She said: "The rules were that we would be quickly escorted around the edges to a platform at the back. In contrast, those paying respects walked along a carpeted area beside the coffin and were given time to pause. None of the broadcasters and journalists there took anyone's place in the queue and no one filed past The Queen. We, of course, respected those rules. However, we realise it may have looked like something else and, therefore, totally understand the reaction. Please know that we would never jump a queue."

Former best friends Willoughby and Schofield found themselves hit by rumours of a rift in the months before Schofield's departure, with claims of a row over unequal pay and screen time. Although neither commented on the stories, it wasn't the first time that Schofield had fallen out with a co-star - Fern Britton had previously had an acrimonious exit from the show over similar disputes with him.

When Willoughby stood in for Ant McPartlin on I'm A Celebrity in 2018, there had been another spat over her replacement. Amanda Holden had claimed that Schofield had dropped her from getting the job, leading to a long-running row between the pair.

Other former contributors and presenters to the ITV daytime show who had also voiced some unhappiness about their dealings with Schofield included Eamonn Holmes and Rylan.

What has Phillip Schofield done since leaving This Morning?

Things have been very quiet for Schofield since cutting ties with ITV - his only TV appearance has been the Amol Rajan BBC interview, and he took a step back from social media, too.

Schofield had long since stopped using X, but he also gave up posting on Instagram for a year after leaving This Morning. He eventually began posting photos of his dog, Alfie, in May this year but did not appear in any of the posts himself until July.

He was first seen in public in July this year when he attended a Grand Prix event along with Stephanie and their two adult daughters.

Rumours have been swirling that Schofield could be back on ITV in the next series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!, but so far they are unconfirmed.

What is Cast Away and when is it on TV?

Cast Away is a Channel 5 show where a celebrity is left alone on a desert island to fend for themselves, reflect on their lives and film their journey.

Ruby Wax and Joanna Lumley have both done the show before but Schofield is set to be its biggest coup as he tells his version of events.

Before revealing who their latest celebrity was, Channel 5 posted a teaser video of Schofield from behind walking on a deserted beach and wrote: "A celebrity marooned on an uninhabited tropical island off the coast of Madagascar for 10 days is challenged with total isolation, the forces of nature, and the battle within their own mind."

Later, Schofield posted: "Now you know how I spent my Summer! Alone for 10 days, no food, no water, no crew. My story of survival, both on a desert island and off it."

In a statement to promote the show, he added: "This is most definitely a first for me and the only thing I felt compelled to do. It appealed to me on so many levels.

"I’ve recently had a lot of time to think about my life, what went right and what went wrong, but I’ve always had the safe arms of friends and family wrapped around me."

Cast Away will air on Channel 5 on Monday, 30 September at 9pm.