Phillip Schofield will no longer appear on ITV (Picture: REX/ITV)
Phillip Schofield has been a household name for decades, having built a strong relationship with ITV in particular, fronting several shows for the channel.
However, he will no longer be appearing on the channel, having announced on Friday (May 26) that he had stepped down with ‘immediate effect’.
His bombshell announcement came as he admitted to having an affair with a much younger male colleague at This Morning, which took place while he was married to his wife and before he came out as gay.
Phil said although the relationship was ‘unwise’, it was ‘not illegal’, but apologised to his family, as well as to ITV bosses for lying about the matter.
It remains unclear what Phil’s future in TV looks like, but the status of many programmes also look to be in stages of uncertainty, as slots open for presenters to take over from Phil.
The following ITV shows are what he was most known for in recent years…
This Morning
He started hosting This Morning initially with Ferne Britton
Phil fronted the popular daytime show for more than 20 years, enjoying a longer small-screen shelf-life than many other presenters, thanks in part to his chemistry with Holly Willoughby.
In 2002, he was given the job on This Morning after John Leslie was sacked.
He initially shared the sofa with Fern Britton, who later quit, and Holly became Phil’s on-screen wife’.
Phil had many memorable moments on the This Morning sofa, such as in February 2020, just before the Covid lockdown, when he came out as gay in an emotional on-air chat with Holly.
His wife Stephanie Lowe later told The Sun she supported her husband of 30 years’ ‘brave step’ and ‘always will’ love him.
She also said: ‘Our family has also been so supportive and will help us going forward.’
However, his time on the show was also engulfed by several controversies.
Phil left the show earlier this month amid rumours of a ‘fallout’ with Holly Willoughby (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The co-hosts faced criticism in September last year over claims they skipped the queue for the Queen’s lying in state while attending as members of the media to film a segment for the programme.
Most recently, he and Holly became the topic of conversation themselves when rumours started flying that they were ‘barely speaking’ behind the scenes.
Reports of a ‘fallout’ led to a frosty atmosphere on set, with Holly taking an early half-term break and Phil ultimately stepping down from the show completely earlier this month.
It remains unclear who will take his space, but Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary – who present on Fridays – are hot favourites.
The Cube
The Cube was placed on hold after the pandemic (Picture: ITV)
The Cube ran for 11 series with Phil at the helm.
He started hosting the challenge show in 2009, offering contestants – as well as celebrity players – the chance to walk away £250,000 richer.
The show ran until 2021, having been brought back during the Covid pandemic with a new million-pound offering.
Reports then surfaced in April last year that the show was on hiatus again.
It was said that bosses were not prioritising another series anytime soon.
But, it was claimed after Phil’s This Morning exit that he wanted to continue hosting The Cube after leaving his daytime role.
Dancing On Ice
Holly and Phil hosted Dancing On Ice first in 2006, with speculation rife now over who will replace them (Picture: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Dancing On Ice’s future is now up in the air following Phil’s revelation.
The ITV skating show first aired in 2006 with Holly and Phil as hosts, and has seen a range of judges and coaches over the years.
There have also been a variety of stars competing, with everyone from Olympians to soap actors, to Hollywood legends to social media influencers taking to the ice.
The 2023 series finished in January, with British gymnast Nile Wilson and pro skater Olivia Smart lifting the trophy.
With Dancing On Ice not due back on our screens until the start of 2024, it might be some time before we learn who will take Phil’s job.
Dancing On Ice returns in 2024 (Picture: James Veysey/Shutterstock)
It’s also unknown if Holly will return.
However, she has hosted the show without Phil in the past as, when he contracted Covid, she presented the live Sunday show with Stephen Mulhern.
Meanwhile, Rochelle and Marvin Humes are odds-on favourites to bag the gig next year.
5 Gold Rings
5 Gold Rings had a short lifespan (Picture: ITV)
Gameshow 5 Gold Rings was one of Phil’s newest projects.
He fronted the Sunday night show from 2017 until 2021.
The aim was for contestants to place a golden ring over what they think is the correct answer, but as the game progresses the ring gets smaller, making the rounds more difficult.
But, the show was axed at the height of the pandemic due to filming concerns and never came back.
The British Soap Awards
The 2023 Soap Awards are just days away (Picture: ITV)
Celebrating the very best talent in Soapland from the past year, Phil has handed out trophies at the Soap Awards from 2006.
He co-hosted with former This Morning colleague Ferne initially, before taking over and hosting solo in 2008 onwards.
The ceremony welcomes actors and crew members from Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks, and Doctors to award the work of those on and off the screen.
Phil – who hosted the awards up until 2022 – will no longer be hosting the 2023 gig.
It has not yet been announced who will take over, but an announcement is surely imminent, given that the awards take place next week.
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.’
