Phillip Schofield is returning to television after a high-profile scandal surrounding his “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger colleague. He will appear on Channel 5’s Cast Away, a reality series where he will be left alone on a deserted island off the coast of Madagascar with only the clothes on his back and a few cameras to document his experience.
Ahead of the show, the 62 year old former ITV host spoke candidly about his relationship, saying: “Shamed, disgraced Phillip Schofield. Who had an affair. But strangely, I think another TV Presenter or two might have done exactly the same thing. Difference is, heterosexual.
“It’s not an unusual thing in the gay world for there to be a difference in age groups. That’s not that unusual in the straight world, but if that had been the case with me and it had been a woman. Pat on the back. Well done mate.”
Phillip is still married to his wife of 30 years, Stephanie Lowe, whom he met while working at CBBC in 1993. The couple, parents to two daughters, Molly, born in 1993, and Ruby, born in 1996, have been open about their journey.
Phillip admitted that he had suspicions about his sexuality when he got married and had been suppressing his ‘true’ feelings. In a candid interview with the Sun on Sunday after coming out in 2020, he said: “Steph is my closest confidante. She’s been amazing.
“I have no secrets from Steph. We have been very truthful and honest. She has known for a while. When you live with someone, you know these things, don’t you? We sat down and we talked and then she left me to have space. I don’t know what it would have been like if I had a different person in my life.”
Despite their private nature, Phillip and his wife Stephanie made a rare on-screen appearance together in 2017 for the TV series Schofield’s South African Adventure. This marked the first time the married couple had been seen on screen together.
Speaking to Christine Lampard on Lorraine, Phillip said of his wife: “She worked in television years ago, that was how we met, so she can do it, she just doesn’t want to these days.”
Despite their separation, a source told OK! that Stephanie still harbours love for her husband and doesn’t wish to divorce him. The source revealed to the publication: “Whatever Phillip has done behind Steph’s back, she still loves him. Even if the love they shared in the beginning of their marriage is different to what it is now, the love is still very much there. Steph is, and always will be, Phillip’s support system. ”
Cast Away airs on Channel 5 tonight at 9pm.