Phillip Schofield recently appeared in a bombshell interview with the BBC, where he emotionally admitted he had contemplated suicide since the fallout over his affair.
Phil maintained he “did not groom” his younger colleague on This Morning, and nothing happened between the pair until he was 20. Phil confessed he “knows how Caroline Flack felt” as he admitted his daughters have “saved his life”.
Since then, celebrities have supported Phil, with more speaking out as time goes on, including some of his fellow This Morning co-stars…
Alison Hammond broke down in tears over Phillip Schofield interview
This Morning discussed Phillip’s bombshell interviews on Friday (June 2) with Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary. After watching a clip from the interview where Phil admitted to contemplating suicide, Alison began tearing up.
She confessed: “Obviously, I loved Phillip Schofield,” she said. “And it’s weird, because I still love Phillip Schofield. However, what he’s done is wrong. He’s admitted it. He’s said sorry. But as a family, we’re all really struggling to process everything. I never know what to say.”
She added: “But I remember what my mum said. My mum always said: ‘Use your Bible as your SatNav in life. And in the Bible, it says: ‘He without sin, cast the first stone.’ And I just don’t want to say anything bad because obviously I’m in conflict. There’s so much a man can take, and I don’t want any death in this situation.”
Dermot O’Leary: ‘We talk about mental health all the time’
While Dermot O’Leary previously declined to comment on the Phillip situation in an interview with Sky News, he also spoke about Phil on This Morning.
He admitted: “This has been very difficult for us to cover this story as he’s a friend and a colleague.” He looked solemn as Alison tearfully spoke about their former colleague, before adding on: “Also, as a society, quite rightly, we talk about mental health all the time. But that can’t be the preserve of people who are on the right side of history.”
This Morning regular Gyles Brandyth admits ‘difficulty’
This Morning regular Gyles Brandyth also joined Alison and Dermot to discuss the “difficult” topic. On the programme, he said: “We are dealing with a human being that all of us here have known and liked over many years. So it makes it difficult for us.”
He added to Alison’s point: “‘I’m with you about he who is without sin, let him cast the first stone. I mean there has been clearly an error of judgment at least here, which he admits to.”
Gyles also later tweeted a cryptic message about “kindness” which fans assumed was about Schofield. He wrote a Henry James quote: “‘Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.’ – Henry James.”
Piers Morgan called for the hate on Phil to stop
Fellow former ITV star Piers Morgan called on the “relentless persecution” of Phil to end. On his Twitter, Piers wrote: “Unless Phillip Schofield’s ex-lover contradicts his version of events to @TheSun and BBC, then it’s time to stop.”
He added that Phil looked “like he was on the edge”. He concluded: “He doesn’t seem to have committed any crime, and he’s not a Govt minister.”
Richard Bacon supported Phillip Schofield after his interview
Richard Bacon, who was famously sacked from Blue Peter in 1998 after admitting to taking cocaine, also backed Phil on Twitter. Sharing a news story about Phil’s interview, he wrote: “It’s time to stop piling in on this human being.”
Richard previously admitted the “psychological impact” of his own scandal was “enormous”. He went on to host The Big Breakfast and feature on Good Morning Britain following his own scandal.
Sarah Ferguson
The Duchess of York has also spoken out in support of Phillip. Speaking on her Tea Talks podcast, Fergie likened social media speculation to a “huge game of Chinese Whispers”.
“It’s the court of public opinion,” she maintained, describing what Phillip is enduring as “massive bullying to the point of extermination of the soul”.
Fergie, 63, added: “I don’t believe that anybody has that right to judge and exterminate a person’s own beliefs.” She went on to say: “We all have failings.”
She added: “Could everyone please take a beat or make a cup of tea before you judge another human being without knowing all the facts?
“We don’t know the facts. We certainly don’t know what people get up to.”
Seann Walsh
Comedian Seann Walsh, who faced huge scrutiny when he cheated on his girlfriend with Strictly dance partner Katya Jones, has also waded into the fallout.
Posting online today on June 4, Seann said: “It is very surreal watching what is happening with Phillip Schofield right now and knowing what that is like. Not many go through it in life.” He then added: “It seems very strange to say I have.”
He then went on to state that he feels Phillip will never “full recover” from the controversy. “Whether you think justice is being served or not, let me tell you now, he is [bleep]ed for the rest of his life. You do not ever fully recover from that.”
Dan Walker and Jeremy Clarkson wade in
Former BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker also commented on the scandal. He said: “I also hope the relentless hounding from some elements of the media stops. People are clearly on the edge.”
Jeremy Clarkson was a little more vocal. He said: “I’ve never seen a witch-hunt like it, and what baffles me most of all is that, as things stand, no crime has been committed.”
Caroline Flack’s mum has also commented. She said: “Let’s hope for the best. I send my regard to Phillip and the young lad, and hope they get over this. Don’t do anything silly. You’ve got your daughters, you’ve got your friends.”
Read more: Holly Willoughby WILL return to This Morning on Monday as her co-host finally revealed
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