Phillip Schofield has been accused by ITV of “lying again” in his TV comeback after he made claims about the channel’s reason for “sacking” him.
The former This Morning star, 62, appeared on Monday evening in Cast Away, which saw him stranded in a Madagascar island for a 10-day stint.
The broadcaster was embroiled in a scandal last year after he admitted to having had an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger ITV colleague, resulting in him leaving the channel and stepping away from the limelight.
Following the huge public outrage that followed, the daytime TV star stepped away from the public eye but made a return to social media earlier this year.
During his controversial TV return this week, he reflected on the scandal and his exit from ITV, stating in an episode of Cast Away: “What people don’t realise is I wasn’t fired from This Morning when I admitted lying.
“It was before, because of someone I used to call brother. I was fired for the bad publicity, for someone else’s crime.”
Schofield’s brother Timothy was jailed for 12 years in April 2023 for 11 sexual offences involving a child. As the news broke, the daytime TV star said: “I no longer have a brother.”
However, ITV has reportedly hit back at the father-of-two’s Cast Away accusation, with a source telling The Mirror: “Phillip’s new comments are simply untrue, he is lying again.
“We stood by him through his brother’s court case and he then stepped away when things became too much.
“There was a lot going on and some relationships on the programme had become untenable as was reported at the time.
ITV has accused Schofied of ‘lying again’ following the first Cast Away episode
Channel 5
“He then admitted himself he had been lying about an affair and he resigned from ITV altogether. We didn’t sack him, he lied to us and then he resigned, there is not much else to say.”
Talking on the show about his cancellation from the public, he stated: “When I look back, the media turning sour on me stems from one event.
“There is a member of my family who I refused to name and refused to acknowledge, who committed a heinous crime.
“I had absolutely no qualms whatsoever in shopping him. We were praised by the police, and we got justice done. But still, even though they knew all of the facts, the papers painted me out to be some sort of complicit agent.
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Schofield re-appeared on screens this week in Channel 5’s Cast Away
Channel 5
“That’s where my world started to collapse. My poor mum, I had to tell her about that member of the family.
“To break that to your mother, is tough, and I had to go through everything with hierarchy at ITV, the full entire story, so that they knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. The full story.”
Meanwhile, several viewers who had tuned in to witness Schofield’s much-anticipated TV comeback ended up branding the show “boring” and have ultimately switched off.
Other talking points from the show so far include Schofield’s daughter Molly breaking down in tears over the past 12 months and a divisive message of support from Joanna Lumley.
ITV declined to comment when approached by GB News but reiterated the statement released by both them and Schofield at the time of his exit, which reads: “After more than 20 years on the This Morning sofa, Phillip Schofield has stepped back from ITV’s flagship morning show having presented his last episode on Thursday 18 May.”
In the statement, Schofield commented: “I have always been proud to cover fascinating stories on This Morning.
“But recently, This Morning itself has become the story. Throughout my career in TV – including the very difficult last few days – I have always done my best to be honourable and kind.
“I understand that ITV has decided the current situation can’t go on, and I want to do what I can to protect the show that I love.“So I have agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect, in the hope that the show can move forward to a bright future.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me – especially This Morning’s amazing viewers.”