ITV must face probe over Phillip Schofield’s affair with male TV aide, top lawyer warns
ITV should face an independent probe over the Phillip Schofield scandal, a top lawyer said.
Abuse specialist Richard Scorer said Schofield’s fling with a male TV aide decades younger than him should be investigated over a possible “abuse of power”.
He spoke out as desperate ITV chiefs scrambled to justify their inaction by insisting they probed rumours of the relationship but both men repeatedly denied it.
In a statement, they said yesterday they launched an inquiry into the romance in early 2020 but were left hamstrung.
Schofield, 61, came out as gay — live on This Morning and backed by co-host Holly Willoughby, 42 — in February 2020, when the ITV investigation could have started.
Yesterday Mr Scorer — backed calls made by stars including Schofield’s former colleague Eamonn Holmes — to look at television bosses.
Mr Scorer, of Slater and Gordon, said: “While we do not know all the details of this particular case, any situation where a young person may have been subjected to a potential imbalance or abuse of power needs to be investigated fully and independently to understand what has occurred.
“Given allegations that others in ITV may have known or suspected about the situation for some time, it is imperative that there is a full and transparent investigation to establish whether action should have been taken sooner to protect the young person concerned.”
The long-standing presenter resigned from ITV and was dropped by his powerful talent agency YMU after confessing to an “unwise, but not illegal” affair with the young male TV aide.
He also apologised for lying to his wife Stephanie, ITV and his former representatives.
In a fresh statement yesterday, ITV moved to try to shift the blame after Schofield’s bombshell statement about the affair rocked the TV industry on Friday night.
The channel pointed out Schofield had lied to them about the relationship.
But ex-This Morning presenter Holmes claimed members of ITV’s senior management knew about Schofield’s behaviour.
He said: “Schofield has finally been caught out…..but he’s not the only guilty party.”
In another Twitter message, he said he and wife Ruth Langsford had been “taken for fools” by Schofield as questions mounted over what bosses knew.
Holmes, 63, threatened to speak out in future about Schofield. He added: “Ruth and I deceived and lied to. One day I will tell the story. We had no issue with him being gay, only support.
“What transpired took us for fools. The man told us complete lies and we unfortunately believed him.”
In his extraordinary statement on Friday night, shame-faced telly host Schofield apologised to his agents, employers, legal team and family.
He said: “I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning.
“Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than just a friendship.”
Yesterday, ex-ITV newscaster and BBC presenter Andrea Catherwood tweeted: “A lot more questions about who knew what when at ITV to be answered after this.”
Tory MP for Tatton, Esther McVey, said she believes it will be “a matter of days” before executives resign over the scandal at ITV, whose top bosses include chief executive Carolyn McCall, director of TV Kevin Lygo, daytime managing director Emma Gormley and This Morning editor Martin Frizell.
Speaking on GB News, McVey said: “People could lose their jobs over this, from the chief executives right the way down.”
Former EastEnders and Coronation Street actress Debbie Arnold, 67, commented: “It’s quite astonishing. But what is even worse is the fact that ITV knew about this for so long and they just sat on it.”
As other stars took a pop at ITV, This Morning’s consumer expert Alice Beer, 58, tweeted: “Sad and angry.
“This sorry mess reflects on all of us who have enjoyed the fun and glory of working on such a successful programme.”
And former Loose Women presenter Saira Khan, 53, took to Instagram to blast the network. She wrote: “I am so glad I am out of @ITVDAYTIME its toxicity affected my mental health and since I’ve left I’ve never looked back.
“They cover up for those they love and those they don’t, throw under the bus! Karma is a b***h.”
But, as This Morning’s future was hanging in the balance, one legal expert said ITV might escape an inquiry as Schofield had lied and the network was not publicly-funded.
Lawyer Alex Watt, of London firm Howard Kennedy, commented: “We have to be careful about conflating moral outrage with a legal error.
“While it may not be morally correct to cheat on your family with a younger man, it is not illegal.
“It would likely have been in Schofield’s contract not to mislead his employers, but there is no obligation on the employers to check whether its employees are having an affair.
“So ITV can justifiably say that they were misled although they looked into it – so how could they ever know?”
Dermot O’Leary, one of the main presenters on This Morning, declined to discuss the Schofield fallout yesterday.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to comment, especially without any knowledge,” he told reporters outside BBC Radio 2, where he hosts a weekend show.
He is due to be on the This Morning sofa tomorrow.
Yesterday, The Masked Singer presenter Joel Dommett was tipped to replace Schofield as host of the Soap Awards in Manchester next Saturday.
BRACE FOR SHARES DIP
Exclusive by Isaac Crowson
ITV chiefs will be in fear of the channel’s share price crumbling in light of the Phillip Schofield scandal, experts have warned.
It came as businesses which advertise on This Morning yesterday refused to say whether they would continue to do so.
ITV bosses have been accused of dodging specific detail after Schofield admitted lying about his affair with a much younger male colleague while still married to his wife.
On Friday, he was dumped by his management company and ITV said he would no longer work for the broadcaster.
But the news broke at 6.30pm, two hours after the stock market closed. That gives ITV a nervous three days until the market reopens on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, used car retailer Arnold Clark, the show’s main sponsor, did not say whether it would continue its deal.
On Twitter, numerous users told the company it was tarnishing its reputation by being associated with the show. Last month, This Morning started a partnership with online marketplace Vinted for ten weeks.
But the business has also not said if this deal will go on.
Financial commentator Susannah Streeter said: “I do expect short-term market turbulence. Bosses will be keeping an eye on share price come Tuesday.”
At the end of Friday, the ITV share price was 71.78p. At the start of the month it fell nearly five per cent on the back of a tricky first quarter.
One industry source said: “ITV will be bracing themselves. They will fear the worst.”
THE FALL FROM GRACE
By Thomas Godfrey
HOW we led the way reporting the unravelling of Phillip Schofield’s lies:
December 2019: We reveal Schofield’s PA and personal runner had unexpectedly left This Morning to join ITV daytime stablemate Loose Women. Schofield and the channel claim it is a promotion.
Early 2020: ITV investigates rumours of a relationship between Schofield and the runner — with both parties “categorically and repeatedly” denying it.
February 2020: Schofield comes out as gay aged 57 on This Morning.
May 10, 2023: We reveal Schofield and Holly Willoughby “barely speaking” off-camera on This Morning.
May 20: After ten days of speculation Schofield announces he is leaving This Morning with “immediate effect”.
Friday: Schofield quits all ITV projects and admits to an “unwise, but not illegal” affair with a “much younger” This Morning runner. He is dropped by agency YMU for lying about the affair.
Yesterday: ITV brands Schofield a liar over his initial denials of the affair.