Lorraine Kelly reveals she was ‘heartbroken’ when Phillip Scofield’s career ended but says ‘he will be fine’ in wake of affair scandal
Lorraine Kelly has claimed fellow TV star Phillip Schofield has had a hard time after disclosing his affair with a younger male colleague.
The TV personality, 64, presents a weekly chat show that airs just before ITV‘s This Morning, which was hosted by Phillip and Holly Willoughby for more than a decade.
In May last year, Phillip resigned from ITV and was dropped by his talent agency after admitting to the ‘unwise, but not illegal’ relationship.
Lorraine told The Sunday Times Magazine: ‘I was heartbroken when all that happened. It’s just a shame for the amazing career that he’s had, for it to end like that.’
She called him ‘generous’, unlike some other male TV presenters, and said she thinks ‘everybody lost their minds a wee bit’ during the media furore.
Lorraine Kelly has claimed fellow TV star Phillip Schofield has had a hard time after disclosing his affair with a younger male colleague
Lorraine told The Sunday Times Magazine: ‘I was heartbroken when all that happened. It’s just a shame for the amazing career that he’s had, for it to end like that.’
Lorraine said: ‘He’s doing all right and he will be all right, but it’s hard.’
She added that she finds the ‘whole culture of pile-ons very sad and quite depressing’, and that there are people in the entertainment industry who are ‘gleeful at seeing somebody’s downfall’.
Lorraine also said she believes ‘there is a front page tabloid story’ about everyone, including her.
In May last year, Phillip, 61, stepped down from presenting the magazine show after 20 years alongside his best pal Holly , when his affair was made public.
He bowed out of the spotlight in recent months. After much speculation about his private life, his affair finally went public and he admitted he had been left ‘broken and ashamed’ but insisted he was not a groomer.
Phillip told The Sun in June that he was afraid to leave the house and the fallout had had a ‘catastrophic effect’ on his mind.
He also told the BBC’s Amol Rajan that his daughters had ‘guarded me and won’t let me out of their sight’ amid fears for his mental health.
An external review by ITV published a report last year saying Phillip had ‘reluctantly declined’ to take part because of ‘the risk to his health’.
In May last year, Phillip resigned from ITV and was dropped by his talent agency after admitting to the ‘unwise, but not illegal’ relationship
Holly left the show after 14 years on the sofa, saying she made the ‘decision for me and my family’
It found that the broadcaster made ‘considerable efforts’ to discover the truth about an alleged relationship between Schofield and a runner on This Morning in 2019 but was ‘unable to uncover the relevant evidence’ until his admission in 2023.
Lorraine also told The Sunday Times Magazine it is ‘just really lovely’ that Holly is back on TV screens for Dancing On Ice after leaving This Morning last October.
Holly left the show after 14 years on the sofa, saying she made the ‘decision for me and my family’.
She continues to present Dancing On Ice, where she has been joined by Deal Or No Deal host Stephen Mulhern as a replacement for Schofield.