Phillip Schofield Biography
Phillip Bryan Schofield (/skoʊfiːld/ SKOH-field; born 1 April 1962) is an English television presenter. He began his career as a Children's BBC continuity announcer from 1985 to 1987, and went on to present a wide range of high-profile programmes for the BBC and ITV, including Going Live! (1987–1993), This Morning (2002–2023), Dancing on Ice (2006–2014, 2018–2023), All Star Mr & Mrs (2008–2016), and The Cube (2009–2015, 2020–2021).
In February 2020, Schofield came out as gay and separated from his wife of 27 years. In May 2023, he admitted that, Schofield was involved in a scandal, admitting that, before leaving his wife, he had carried on an extramarital affair with a much younger male ITV co-worker and had lied about it to ITV's management, his work colleagues, his lawyers, his agents and his friends and family. Amid extensive media coverage, Schofield resigned from ITV, was removed as an amb*ador for the Prince's Trust, and was dropped by the talent agency that had represented him for over 35 years. In subsequent interviews, he said his career was over and described himself as "utterly broken".
Early life
Schofield was born on 1 April 1962 in Oldham, but moved to Newquay, Cornwall at the age of eighteen months. He attended Trenance Infant School and Newquay Tretherras School. When he was 15, his first foray into media was a Sunday show on Hospital Radio Plymouth. Despite moving so young, he says he is proud of his Lancashire roots (Oldham being in the county of Lancashire until 1974).
After many years of writing letters to the BBC, at 17, Schofield took up the position of bookings clerk and tea boy for BBC Radio at Broadcasting House in London, where he was, at the time, the youngest employee.
Career
Television
Aged 19, Schofield moved with his family to New Zealand, where he made his television debut as the initial presenter of the youth music programme Shazam! on 23 February 1982. He also spent two years working for the Auckland-based radio station Radio Hauraki.
In 1985, he returned to Britain, where he became the first in-vision continuity presenter for Children's BBC on weekdays for two years from September 1985 in what was known as the 'Broom Cupboard'. He left in 1987 to present Going Live! on Saturday mornings between September 1987 and April 1993. From 1988 to 1991, he was the host of the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party, a pop-magazine awards show.
In the early 1990s, Schofield moved to adult-orientated television with various programmes for ITV, such as Schofield's Quest, Schofield's TV Gold and Ten Ball. From 1994 to 1997, he presented Talking Telephone Numbers for five series and in 1996 he hosted a show about remarkable coincidences called One in a Million. He co-aut*d the book that came out of the series.
In the following decade, Schofield presented the National Lottery Winning Lines programme for BBC One between June 2001 and October 2004. And between 2002 and 2006, he co-hosted the BBC quiz show Test the Nation with Anne Robinson. In July 2006, he signed an exclusive two-year contract with ITV, reported to have been worth £5:million. The exclusive deal also meant he could no longer present Test the Nation and was replaced by Danny Wallace.
Schofield presenting This Morning in 2007In August 2002, Schofield became a presenter on the ITV daytime show This Morning, joining John Leslie and Fern Britton on Fridays. In October of that year, Leslie stepped aside from the programme after allegations about his personal life, and Schofield replaced him as Britton's co-host, first on a temporary and then a permanent basis. In May 2008, Schofield's father died from a long-standing heart condition, after which Schofield took a break from presenting This Morning. John Barrowman stood in for him until his return. In 2009, Holly Willoughby replaced Britton as Schofield's co-host.
Starting in 2005, Schofield presented two series of Have I Been Here Before?, a daytime programme in which a celebrity attempted to use regression to get in touch with a previous life.
From 2006 to 2023, he presented The British Soap Awards. Between 2006 and 2008, he hosted the programme with Britton.
During the run of the ITV reality show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, he co-hosted the spin-off series I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here! Exclusive with Sheree Murphy. The show lasted one series. In 2006, Schofield presented two episodes of the ITV game show It's Now or Never, before the network cancelled the show, due to poor ratings.
Schofield presented Dancing on Ice on ITV with Willoughby from 2006 until 2011 and Christine Bleakley from 2012 until 2014. It was announced in the summer of 2013 that Dancing on Ice was to come to an end following the 2014 series. Schofield returned to co-present the show in 2018 following ITV's choice to bring the series back after four years away.
In April 2008, he and Britton began hosting a revival of the ITV game show Mr and Mrs, renamed as All Star Mr & Mrs. In 2010, the show took a break but returned in 2012 without Britton.
From 2009 until 2015, he presented the primetime game show The Cube. Schofield returned to present the show in 2020 following ITV's choice to reboot the series after five years away. He also hosted A Night of Heroes: The Sun Military Awards with Amanda Holden from 2009 until 2014.
In 2010 and 2011, Schofield hosted the annual comedy show The Comedy Annual on ITV. From 2011 until 2015, He co-hosted the Christmas charity show Text Santa on ITV with Bleakley in 2011, 2014 and 2015 and Willoughby in 2012 and 2013.
In April 2011 and June 2012, Schofield co-hosted ITV's coverage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton's wedding and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee with Julie Etchingham.
On 8 November 2012, Schofield interviewed then prime minister David Cameron on This Morning and presented him with a list he had obtained from the internet of five people named as paedophiles in connection with the North Wales child abuse scandal. The names of several former senior Conservative politicians were visible on the list. Cameron responded by warning against a witchhunt, "particularly about people who are gay". Schofield was widely criticised for his action, with broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby describing his behaviour as "cretinous". ITV's director of television, Peter Fincham, said that Schofield was "wrong" in confronting Cameron and the broadcaster had agreed to co-operate fully with government regulator Ofcom's investigation into the matter. The investigation was initiated after Ofcom received 415 complaints from viewers. Schofield later apologised, blaming a misjudged camera angle. Schofield and ITV later paid £125,000 compensation to settle a libel suit from one of those falsely accused, Lord McAlpine of West Green.
In March 2014, Schofield narrated the one-off ITV2 show Educating Joey Essex. The show was commissioned for a full series which was aired throughout 2014. The show was commissioned for a seven-part second series, filming began in April 2016, and the series aired in summer 2016 with the first episode *led "The Queen's 90th Birthday".
In December 2014, he undertook a live 24-hour TV marathon to raise money for Text Santa, where, as well as appearing on This Morning, he appeared on various other programmes throughout the day, including being a guest panellist on Loose Women.
He presented two series of the primetime game show You're Back in the Room for ITV in 2015 and 2016.
In 2016, he travelled to South Africa with his wife, as part of a series of short clips for This Morning. Following this, ITV aired three thirty-minute episodes in a primetime slot, called Schofield's South African Adventure. Since March 2017, he has presented 5 Gold Rings, a new game show format for ITV. In 2017, Schofield presented three-part factual series How To Spend It Well at Christmas with Phillip Schofield in which he tested the latest must-have festive gifts.
On 17 September 2022, Schofield and Willoughby drew criticism for not joining the Queue with the public, when filming for This Morning at the lying in state of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall. ITV said that Schofield was escorted from the press gallery by government staff and did not file past the Queen's coffin. Social media users contrasted this with the actions of other celebrities such as David Beckham, Susanna Reid, and Tim Vine who queued for many hours with members of the general public.
Radio
While working as presenter of Going Live!, Schofield was also broadcasting on BBC Radio 1 with a Sunday show of the same name. When Radio 1 started to broadcast in FM stereo in 1988, Schofield was one of the presenters chosen to help with the launch.
In February 2010, Schofield launched Radio Plymouth in Devon.
Theatre
Schofield first performed on the West End stage in 1991, taking over the role of Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat from Jason Donovan. The second musical he performed in was the *le role of Doctor Dolittle at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1998, when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at the curtain call of the musical. In 2000, Schofield toured the UK with the show. He reprised his role as Joseph for an episode of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway in March 2018.
Affair and resignation from ITV
Following months of speculation about his private life, and widespread reports of a feud with co-host Willoughby, Schofield presented This Morning for the last time on 18 May 2023, after more than 20 years in the role. Two days later, he announced his departure from the programme with immediate effect, saying: "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." A broadcasting executive subsequently told The Times that Willoughby had given ITV an ultimatum that either she or Schofield had to leave the programme.
In a statement to the Daily Mail on 26 May, Schofield admitted that, before leaving his wife in 2020, he had carried on an extramarital affair with a younger male ITV co-worker. He had first met the co-worker while giving a talk at the drama school where the latter was then a 15-year-old student. Schofield later arranged a job interview for the co-worker at This Morning, where he was hired as a production *istant. Schofield stated that the affair had begun when the co-worker was 20 years old, at which point Schofield was in his mid-50s, and admitted lying about it to ITV's management, his work colleagues, his lawyers, his agent and his friends and family. He resigned from ITV and apologised for his lies, while calling the relationship "consensual" and "unwise but not illegal."
ITV said it had investigated rumours of a relationship between Schofield and the co-worker in early 2020, but that both men had repeatedly denied the affair. Stating that it was "deeply disappointed by the admissions of deceit" made by Schofield, ITV severed ties with him, and instructed a King's Counsel to carry out an external review of its handling of the incident. ITV confirmed that This Morning would continue without Schofield, and announced that Jane McDonald would replace him as host of The British Soap Awards. The talent agency YMU dropped Schofield after representing him for 35 years, and the Prince's Trust announced that it would no longer feature him as an amb*ador, saying it was "no longer appropriate to work together."
News of Schofield's affair and departure from ITV received extensive coverage in the British media. Following his resignation, he gave separate interviews to the BBC and The Sun, in which he apologised to the co-worker for bringing the "greatest misery into his totally innocent life." He denied grooming the man, and said that he had lied not to protect his own career but to preserve the co-worker's privacy. He said that the two had never been in a "love affair" and were still friends. He said his career was over; said he had "lost everything" and felt "utterly broken", embarr*ed and ashamed; and claimed that if not for his daughters Ruby and Molly guarding him, he would have attempted suicide. Although he acknowledged the age difference, he said he believed *phobia was a factor in the media coverage, suggesting that an affair with a woman would not have created such a scandal.
Willoughby, who had previously said she was hurt that Schofield had lied to her when she asked about the rumours, returned to This Morning on 5 June for the first time since his departure. Stating that she felt "shaken, troubled and let down," she said that everyone at the programme had given "love and support to someone who was not telling the truth." She expressed concern for Schofield's mental health, thanked viewers for their kindness and support, and said "what unites us all now is a desire to heal." Willoughby left This Morning four months later.
As a result of the Schofield controversy, ITV in October 2023 began requiring all workers at the network – including staff, consultants, contractors, freelancers, apprentices, and individuals on work experience – to disclose all personal relationships with colleagues. The policy applies to co-workers in romantic or sexual relationships, but also to those who are friends or relatives, who live in the same household, or who share other close connections. Failure to comply with the policy can result in disciplinary action, including termination of employment. In February 2024, the BBC reported that Schofield made a six-figure payment to a colleague with whom he had an affair. Schofield compensated his former lover for the loss of his job and home, as well as legal fees, in a deal that included non-disclosure agreements for both sides.
Other ventures
Music
While appearing in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Schofield was approached to record a cover of "Close Every Door" to be released as a single. The single was released in December 1992 on Polydor Records and peaked at number 27 on the UK Singles Chart.
Wine
Schofield collects Bordeaux wines, an interest kindled by friend Jason Donovan. Asked in 1992 to introduce a compilation video for Donovan, Schofield refused to accept payment. Stock, Aitken and Waterman sent him two cases of Burgundy with a set of tasting notes; he joined the Wine Society two years later.
In 2013, Schofield began writing for the Waitrose Weekend newspaper and became the face of wine in their UK stores. In 2020, Waitrose began exclusively selling a range of Phillip Schofield–branded Italian boxed wines created by the wine company When in Rome. However, Waitrose ceased selling the Schofield wines in 2022 after negative reviews. When in Rome stopped selling the wines on its own website after revelations emerged about Schofield's affair, saying "this collaboration has drawn to a natural conclusion".
Personal life
Schofield holds dual British and New Zealand citizenship. In March 1993, he married his partner Stephanie Lowe, whom he met when he was 25 and working at Children's BBC, where she was a production *istant. The couple have two daughters, Molly, born in 1993, and Ruby, born in 1996. On 7 February 2020, Schofield came out as gay via a statement posted on Instagram Stories. In a follow-up interview on This Morning, he stated that "with the strength and support of my wife and my daughters, I have been coming to terms with the fact that I am gay". He stated he had thought he was bisexual at the time he married Lowe. Schofield and Lowe separated, after which he moved out of the family home in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, and moved to Chiswick, London. As of June 2023, Schofield and Lowe are still legally married and he continues to wear his wedding ring.
In April 2023, Schofield's brother Timothy Schofield was found guilty of sexual offences against a teenage boy. It was revealed during the trial that Timothy had told Phillip some details of the offences in September 2021; Phillip did not report this to the police but suggested that his brother seek help from a doctor.
Honours
He was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Arts (D.Arts) by the University of Plymouth in 2011.
Filmography
TelevisionFilmStageBibliography
- One in a Million (with Peter A. Hough, Michael O'Mara Books, 1996) ISBN:9781854792402
- Life is What You Make It (Penguin Books, 2020) ISBN:9780241501191
Fun File
- The First Phillip Schofield Fun File (Random House Children's Books, 1988) ISBN:9780553175493
- The Second Phillip Schofield Fun File (Bantam Books, 1989) ISBN:9780553175509
Gordon the Gopher
- The Adventures of Gordon T. Gopher (Knight Books, 1989) ISBN:9780340499481
- Phillip Schofield's Gordon T. Gopher Annual (World International Publishing Ltd., 1988) ISBN:9780723568339
References
External links
- Official website
- Phillip Schofield at IMDb
- Phillip Schofield at itv.com
