Showbiz favourites Ant and Dec have given their backing to telly pal Phillip Schofield after he revealed he is gay.
The Geordie hosts took to Twitter earlier this afternoon to make it clear to their social media followers they are offering their support to the This Morning host, who came out on social media this morning.
The Britain’s Got Talent stars also hailed Phillip’s wife Stephanie and daughters Molly and Ruby, who they referred to as ‘three lovely girls’.
Their post racked up tens of thousands of Likes from approving fans within a few hours – even though many of those responding to the pair’s tweet voiced concerns and sympathy for Stephanie.
Read more: Why Phillip Schofield has chosen now to come out as gay
Ant and Dec wrote: “Huge respect and admiration for our friend @Schofe.”
Adding a heart emoji to their message, the joint tweet continued: “Sending love to you P, and to your 3 lovely girls.”
Huge respect and admiration for our friend.
It is thought the three light entertainment personalities have been friends for some years, with Phillip and Stephanie understood to have attended Ant and Dec’s respective weddings in 2006 and 2015.
Phil is also believed to have been at the pair’s joint 40th birthday bash five years ago.
Read more: Phillip Schofield breaks down as he reveals family’s reaction to him coming out as gay
However, even though Phillip did address Ant’s arrest on suspicion of drink-driving on air in 2018, some viewers at the time felt disappointed with how This Morning reported the issue.
In March of 2018, Phillip said he and colleague Holly were “shocked and saddened” by the news and that it was difficult for them to talk about because they were “talking about a friend”.
He added: “The overwhelming feeling we believe has to be that, no matter who you are, no matter what you do, if you get into a car having had a drink the responsibility is entirely yours.
“We wish Ant and all those involved in these sad events all the very best.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Mnt4xl9lA/
The showbiz friends later covered a court appearance for Ant with a brief mention on their flagship ITV daytime show.
Other celebrities who have offered their best wishes to Phil on social media include David Walliams, Dermot O’Leary, Dr Ranj Singh and Peter Andre.
And the stars of Loose Women also hailed the telly veteran, 57, for coming out, suggesting his “empowering” decision to go public could help others who may be struggling.
Huge respect and admiration for our friend @Schofe. Sending love to you P, and to your 3 lovely girls ❤️
— antanddec (@antanddec) February 7, 2020
Panellist Brenda Edwards said: “Being in the media industry and so high up as he is, I think it’s a very strong and empowering message to a lot of people, whether they’re young, old, whatever age they are, that you can just be yourself.
“I think it might help spur on other people who are feeling trapped or they haven’t got anywhere to go I think that’s a really good, empowering thing that he’s done, being the person he is and coming out to everybody.”
And Denise Welch noted she was glad Phillip is being true to himself – but pointed out how “difficult” the situation will be for his loved ones.
‘I think it’s a very strong and empowering message to a lot of people.’
The #LooseWomen show their support for Phillip Schofield after he opens up about being gay. pic.twitter.com/gH5ZtchGTz
— Loose Women (@loosewomen) February 7, 2020
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