The secret lover of Phillip Schofield was just 15 when the two first met at a theatre school, it has been reported.
Phillip, 61 sensationally quit ITV on Friday (May 26) after confessing he had a relationship with a much younger man who worked with him on This Morning.
It’s fair to say his shock news has gone on to cause an uproar in the showbiz world. Eamonn Holmes accused four senior bosses at the network of knowing about their presenter’s antics, there has been rumours of the ITV show getting the axe and Holly Willoughby has declared she is “hurt” over the news.
And now, more details have been alleged as to when Phil and his unnamed lover, now in his mid-twenties, struck up a friendship.
Phillip Schofield confesses to affair with younger lover
In Friday’s statement, Phillip said: “I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning.
“Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than just a friendship. That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over.”
Phillip Schofield ‘met lover when he was 15’
According to MailOnline, Phillip first met his future colleague while he was giving a talk at a theatre school. He was supposedly called on by his future colleague’s relatives to give the talk.
The schoolboy asked the TV veteran for a job and Phillip reportedly arranged an interview for him. He then later took on a role as an ITV production assistant when he turned 18.
The publication also reported that the affair began after the man started working at ITV. This was when Phillip was in his early fifties and married to his wife Stephanie Lowe, it’s claimed.
Holly breaks silence on Phillip’s affair
It comes after Phillip’s former co-host Holly Willoughby released a statement sharing her thoughts on the recent explosive news.
The 42-year-old host posted a blunt message on her social media on Saturday. While many This Morning viewers were calling for her too to step down from the show, she wrote on her Instagram Story: “It’s taken time to process yesterday’s news. When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not. It’s been very hurtful to now find out that this was a lie.”
Read more: This Morning ‘tarnished beyond repair’ amid claims ITV boss is looking to ‘axe’ it
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