Sixteen months on from his bombshell confession to an ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a much younger colleague, Phillip Schofield has finally laid bare the true story in Channel 5 documentary, Phillip Schofield Cast Away.
In an unflinching look at one of ITV’s biggest scandals, former This Morning presenter Phil, 62, questions, ‘I know what I did was unwise, but is it enough to absolutely destroy someone?’, as he shared his mental health battles on the show.
And while his friendship with former BFF Holly Willoughby fell victim to his ongoing denials of the sexual affair, an insider tells Closer that two of the channel’s biggest stars have been quietly cheering on Phil’s comeback – Ant McPartlin, 48, and Declan Donnelly, 49.
The source says, ‘Phil was offered a string of opportunities before this one, which he turned down, but Ant and Dec both persuaded him that this was the right one for his comeback and have been quietly supporting him behind the scenes.
‘They insisted that being as raw and open with viewers as he could would pave the way to reversing the damage caused to his reputation and hopefully turn the tide of public opinion – ultimately salvaging Phil’s career.’
The trio have been friends for over two decades, with Phil landing his role on the This Morning sofa in 2002, the same year a fresh-faced Ant and Dec launched ITV’s Saturday Night Takeaway.
In May, Phil was also spotted smiling and laughing during a four-hour lunch with Dec, and it was reported that both Ant and Dec, alongside Phil’s former colleague Alison Hammond, had been a huge support to the ‘disgraced’ presenter, who was driven to contemplate suicide following the ordeal.
Ant also previously suffered from depression amid his battle with prescription drug and alcohol addiction, which led to him being arrested for a drink-drive crash in 2018 that saw a three-year-old girl rushed to hospital as a precaution. He later went to rehab and was fined £86,000.
Now the source says, ‘If anyone knows what it’s like to be in his shoes, it’s Ant. He almost lost everything after falling to rock bottom, and came back from the brink, so Phil has put a huge amount of trust in both him and Dec.
‘Phil laid his soul bare with the intention of proving to the public how deeply sorry he is for his mistakes. He is desperate to win back fans and is praying the show has been well-received.’