Phillip Schofield mentions suicidal thoughts in shocking interview

In a recent interview with BBC host Amol Rajan, former This Morning host Phillip Schofield spoke candidly about his affair with a much younger runner and the toll it has taken on his mental health.

Schofield, who left the show with immediate effect last week, revealed that he has been feeling suicidal and “understands how Caroline Flack felt” before her tragic death in 2020.

Schofield admitted that he had lied to ITV, his agency YMU, colleagues, and friends about the affair and that he was in a "mess" with his own sexuality at the time it happened.

He also revealed that he had met the runner when he was just 15 years old, but that their affair began when he was 20 and was always “consensual.”

“He had been working at the show for a few months and we’d become mates,” said Schofield. “Then in my dressing room one day, something happened.”

While some have accused Schofield of abusing his power, he vehemently denied the allegation, saying that he and the runner were "mates" and still are. 

Schofield acknowledged that homophobia played a role in the public's reaction to the affair, stating, “If it was male-female then it wouldn’t be such a scandal.”

Throughout the interview, Schofield expressed concern for the runner's welfare and revealed that he had engaged a lawyer to provide him with independent support.

“The lie got too big for all of us. It was growing and growing and growing and crossed over from online to mainstream news,” he concluded.