Eamonn Holmes claims ITV ‘knew’ about Phillip Schofield’s affair
Eamonn Holmes has accused ITV executives of knowing about Phillip Schofield’s affair with a younger male employee. (ITV)
Former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes has accused ITV executives of knowing about Phillip Schofield’s affair with a younger male employee.
On Friday (26 May), Schofield resigned from ITV with “immediate effect” and made a statement admitting having an “on-off” affair with a runner on This Morning.
Schofield, 61, stepped down from his role presenting the ITV breakfast show on 20 May after more than 20 years.
Following Schofield admitting to the affair – which happened during his 27-year marriage to Stephanie Lowe – Holmes, who previously hosted the morning talk show with his wife Ruth Langsford, took to Twitter to accuse four members of ITV management of knowing.
“Schofield has finally been caught out … But he’s not the only guilty party,” Holmes tweeted.
“Four high members of ITV management knew what sort of man he was …and NEVER once took action to prevent him controlling or taking advantage of his position over young people.”
The 64-year-old’s tweet has been viewed more than 9.5 million times, with many of the comments accusing him of also being “complicit”.
In a GB News segment, Daily Mail editor-at-large Charlotte Griffiths said Schofield’s co-presenter Holly Willoughby “must have asked him about this, people around him must have asked him about this and he must have lied”.
GB News presenter Dan Wootton has also accused ITV’s CEO Carolyn McCall of covering for Schofield and has called for the executives who knew to “all step down”.
ITV told PinkNews that it investigated a relationship between Schofield and an ITV employee when rumours began to circulate in 2020.
“Both parties were questioned and both categorically and repeatedly denied the rumours as did Phillip’s then agency YMU.
“In addition, ITV spoke to a number of people who worked on This Morning and were not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour.
“Phillip’s statement yesterday reveals that he lied to people at ITV, from senior management to fellow presenters, to YMU, to the media and to others over this relationship.”
Schofield dropped by his talent agency of 35 years
As a result of the affair, Schofield has been dropped by his talent agency of 35 years, YMU.
Mary Bekhait, the Group CEO of YMU Group, said: “Honesty and integrity are core values for YMU’s whole business, defining everything we do.”
Bekhait added that the revelations about Schofield contradicted what he had previously told the agency, and confirmed that he would no longer be represented by YMU.
“As a result,” she continued, “on Thursday we agreed to part company with Phillip, with immediate effect.”
Schofield has said he’s “deeply sorry” for the lying about the “on-off relationship”.
“I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning,” his statement, delivered to the Daily Mail, read.
“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.”
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