Vanessa Feltz was forced to react to Phillip Schofield’s announcement live on air (Picture: TalkTV/REX/ITV)
Vanessa Feltz was live on air when the news broke of Phillip Schofield’s ITV resignation and his affair confession.
The TV star had to react to the announcement in front of the nation, making for some rather awkward television indeed.
Phil made a statement on Friday (May 26) to confirm that he would be stepping down from all his ITV jobs with ‘immediate effect’, apologising to bosses and his family for lying about an affair with a much younger male colleague.
After years of speculation over the nature of their relationship, Phil finally addressed the matter, claiming that despite meeting the runner when he was a teenager, their relationship, though ‘unwise’, was ‘not illegal’.
It remains unclear what Phil’s TV future will look like, or how shows such as This Morning and Dancing On Ice will move forward.
Vanessa, 61, has appeared on This Morning alongside Phil, also 61, many times, famous for dishing out cut-throat advice to callers in struggling relationships.
Vanessa was on TalkTV as the bombshell of Phil’s affair confession came in (Picture: TalkTV)
Journalist Nigel Pauley did most of the talking as Vanessa nodded along (Picture: TalkTV)
While she kept it professional as she learned of Phil’s shocking, tell-all statement, her attempt at keeping a poker face won’t have gone unnoticed by viewers.
Vanessa was chatting to journalist Nigel Pauley on TalkTV when the news came in.
She began by responding to the recent chatter around Phil and co-host Holly Willoughby’s ‘fallout’, amid claims they were ‘barely speaking’ behind the scenes.
Vanessa said, defending the pair: ‘They haven’t done anything to harm any members of the public, they’ve just presented a daytime television show, so I feel it’s only right to say that as I truly think that and I know them both and like them both.’
She then handed over to Nigel, who was on hand to explain the latest developments.
She has appeared on This Morning with Phil numerous times (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
Phil has stepped down from ITV ‘with immediate effect’ (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
‘Looking at this as a journalist, I would say there’s a lot of stuff that’s gonna come out about this,’ he said.
The former Mirror reporter said there had been ‘rumours’ of a relationship between Phil and a younger colleague, who he did not name in his statement in order to protect his privacy.
He went on to discuss how Phil has also been let go from his talent agency after working with them for 35 years.
Nigel explained how the agency was essentially ‘formed around’ Phil.
‘Their main person for 30, 40 years has been Phillip Schofield.
‘Now, for him to be dropped by an agency which was virtually his agency, is shocking.’
He concluded by predicting ‘more negativity’ to come in the near future.
His announcement comes after rumours of a ‘fallout’ with Holly Willoughby (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
Phil apologised to his wife and daughters, having had the affair while he was married to Stephanie and before coming out as gay (Picture: John Phillips/Getty Images)
‘If an agent drops someone and uses the words honesty and integrity, that’s not good,’ he said.
Media commentator Nigel did most of the talking throughout the segment.
Meanwhile, Vanessa let out the odd hum and nodded along as she listened closely.
Her reaction comes after ITV themselves released a statement, saying they felt ‘badly let down’ by Phil’s actions.
In a comment provided to Metro.co.uk, an ITV spokesperson said: ‘We are deeply disappointed by the admissions of deceit made tonight by Phillip Schofield.
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‘The relationships we have with those we work with are based on trust. Philip made assurances to us which he now acknowledges were untrue and we feel badly let down.’
They concluded: ‘We accept his resignation from ITV and therefore can confirm that he will not be appearing on ITV as had previously been stated.’
Phillip Schofield statement in full
‘I am making this statement via the Daily Mail to whom I have already apologised personally for misleading, through my lawyer who I also misled, about a story which they wanted to write about me a few days ago.
‘The first thing I want to say is: I am deeply sorry for having lied to them, and to many others about a relationship that I had with someone working on This Morning. 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. That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over.
‘When I chose to come out I did so entirely for my own wellbeing. Nobody “forced” me out. Neither I nor anyone else, to my knowledge, has ever issued an injunction, super or otherwise, about my relationship with this colleague, he was never moved on or sacked by or because of me. In an effort to protect my ex-colleague I haven’t been truthful about the relationship.
‘But my recent, unrelated, departure from This Morning fuelled speculation and raised questions which have been impacting him, so for his sake it is important for me to be honest now.
‘I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.
‘I have therefore decided to step down from the British Soap Awards, my last public commitment, and am resigning from ITV with immediate effect expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me.
‘I will reflect on my very bad judgment in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it. To protect his privacy, I am not naming this individual and my deepest wish is that both he and his family can now move on with their lives free from further intrusion, and that this statement will enable them to do so.
‘I ask the media now to respect their privacy. They have done nothing wrong, and I ask that their privacy should be respected.’
It made for awkward viewing.
