Christine Flack hates that Phillip Schofield is going through ‘such an awful time’ (Picture: ITV/BBC)
Caroline Flack’s mother has voiced concern for Phillip Schofield following the ‘relentless’ backlash since his affair confession.
Christine Flack joined Victoria Derbyshire on Friday’s episode of Newsnight just one day after the former This Morning presenter admitted he is ‘utterly broken’ after ‘losing everything’ because of his lies.
Her appearance on the BBC programme also followed Phil’s claim that he feels how former Love Island host Flack felt before she took her own life in 2020 while awaiting a court appearance for assault charges.
Christine began by saying: ‘It worries me because it’s relentless on him. I do feel worried for him.’
Asked for her thoughts on why Phil referenced Flack in a recent interview, she responded: ‘He knew Caroline and I must say, when she died, he was very upset. I think now, he’s realised even more what she went through.’
Christine – who is the mother of the late Caroline Flack – joined Newsnight where she voiced her worry (Picture: BBC)
Flack took her own life in February 2020 at the age of 40 (Picture: Wire Image)
Last week, Phillip confirmed that he did have an affair with a young male runner on the ITV daytime programme after previously denying speculation.
He described the affair as ‘unwise’, given that it took place at work while he was married and hadn’t yet come out as gay.
‘I hate the thought that Phillip and this young man are going through such an awful time, Christine continued.
‘It’s bad enough when it’s in private, but when it’s in every single paper, let’s hope for the best. I send my regards to Phillip and the young lad and I hope they get over this, and they will.’
She then urged: ‘Don’t do anything silly. You’ve got your daughters and you’ve got your friends. I hope the young lad has someone as well.’
Christine has been incredibly vocal in terms of mental health and the media storm that led to her daughter’s suicide at the age of 40.
Talking to BBC earlier this week, Phil said that his daughters – Molly, 29, and Ruby, 27 – are afraid to leave his side due to him feeling suicidal.
‘It is day after day after day after day. If you do that, and you don’t think that is going to have the most catastrophic effect on someone’s mind, what do you want?’ he said.
‘Do you want me to die? Because that’s where I am.’
Phillip Schofield’s tell-all interview: The key points
Phillip Schofield bared all in interviews with The Sun and BBC amid the fallout of confessing to an affair with a This Morning runner. Here is what he said:
‘I did not groom him’
Schofield insists he is not a groomer, saying that while he met the former colleague while he was a teenager, their interactions were innocent and only became sexual when the runner was around 20/21 years old.
He said it never felt like an ‘abuse of power’ because they were ‘mates’.
The affair began in 2017
He has said that the affair began after a ‘consensual moment’ in his dressing room.
‘It was not a love affair, it was not a relationship, we were not boyfriends; we were mates,’ he insisted. ‘It wasn’t feelings (I was getting), it was more like mates: excitement.’
His wife is ‘very, very angry’
The affair took place while Schofield was married to wife Stephanie Lowe, with whom he shares two daughters.
On the moment he told his wife, he said: ‘She got off a plane and I phoned her up and texted saying, “I need to talk to you”. She called back and I told her. She was very, very angry.’
Schofield still wears his wedding ring, but explained that he and Stephanie are ‘separated’.
His daughters saved his life
Schofield confessed to feeling suicidal amid the fallout of his affair and the ‘relentless’ media attention.
His two daughters – Molly, 29, and Ruby, 27 – have been ‘afraid’ to leave his side and warned him: ‘Don’t you dare do this on our watch.’
‘If it hadn’t been for my girls last week, I wouldn’t be here.’
He has apologised to Holly Willoughby
After rumours of a fallout between the pair and after Holly Willoughby said she was lied to by Schofield after asking him about his affair, he has apologised to his former co-presenter.
He said: ‘I’ve lost my best friend. I let her down (Holly). I let that entire show down. I let the viewers down.
‘Holly did not know (about the romance). And she was one of the first texts that I sent, to say, “I am so, so sorry that I lied to you”.’
He will ‘die sorry’ to the runner he had the affair with
‘I have massive guilt, and regret. I’ve made a mistake, I’ve had an affair at work. I think my greatest apology must go to him. It has brought the greatest misery into his totally innocent life, his totally innocent family, his totally innocent friends.
‘It has brought the greatest grief to them.’
The colleague has not been named in the press for his privacy.
No pay-offs
Schofield denied allegations that the runner received hush money from ITV, saying the promotion he got wasn’t to ‘move him on’ but because of his own talents.
He also insisted that the young man did not sign an NDA preventing him from speaking out.
Comparing age gap backlash to ‘homophobia’
‘So yeah, there’s a difference. It’s accepted by Leonardo DiCaprio, it’s not accepted if it’s in the gay world,’ he said of age differences.
‘Attraction is attraction. It’s no different in the gay world as it is in the heterosexual world or in the lesbian world. There shouldn’t be a difference. This is where homophobia comes in.’
Eamonn Holmes is an ‘angry’ man
After Eamonn Holmes made a series of strong allegations against Schofield, he said the Irish TV presenter is just ‘angry’ he’s not on This Morning anymore.
He also continuously denied that This Morning is ‘toxic’.
Doesn’t think he’ll work in TV again
Schofield said it ‘breaks [my] heart’ to talk about TV in the past tense, but he doesn’t see a way back for him.
‘I do not think I will be able to walk down a street ever again. It is like everybody knows.
‘I’ve lost everything. It’s all gone,’ he said frankly.
‘Telly was my safe space, the one thing I loved. Now I don’t know if I will ever work on telly again.’
‘My girls saved my life,’ he continued. ‘They said, last week, they haven’t left me for a moment. They’ve been by my side every moment because they’re scared to let me out of their sight.
‘What is that like for daughters, to have to do something like that? And they said to me, “Don’t you dare do this on our watch, we’re supposed to be looking after you”.’
Phil went on: ‘If my girls hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be here. Because I don’t see a future.’
Need support?
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
If you’re a young person, or concerned about a young person, you can also contact PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide UK. Their HOPELINK digital support platform is open 24/7, or you can call 0800 068 4141, text 07860039967 or email: [email protected] between the hours of 9am and midnight.
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Phillip Schofield recently claimed that he feels how Caroline Flack felt before she took her own life in 2020.
