Phil Schofield's life now from former lover's NDA to 'divorce refusal' with wife
Phillip Schofield has kept a low profile since his bombshell affair scandal broke last year.
But the former ITV presenter, 61, cut a glum figure when he was spotted out with his daughter Molly, 30, this weekend after it was revealed he and his ex-lover, who is 34 years his junior, have signed mutual non-disclosure agreements to stop them ever speaking publicly about Phil's extra-marital affair.
Phil saw his personal and professional life implode last year when news of the affair with a younger male colleague came to light. The star is said to now be 'sleeping easy' knowing that more details of the 'unwise but not illegal' relationship will never be shared.
Phillip came out as gay on This Morning four years ago with former close pal Holly (S Meddle/ITV/REX)A lawyer speaking on behalf of Schofield told the Mirror: "Person X instructed [Phillip's lawyers] to seek from Phillip Schofield payment of his substantial legal costs in dealing with the media to protect his privacy, compensation for the loss of his job and home, and other financial losses suffered as a consequence of the media coverage of their relationship. This was incorporated in an agreement which included a mutual non-disclosure provision."
A source told the Mail on Sunday: "It means that Phil knows that his young ex will not ever be able to speak about their relationships so he can probably sleep a lot better at night now. He has lost a lot but imagine if the full details came out - it would be pretty cataclysmic for him."
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In an explosive statement released last May, Phil 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."
He added at the time: "I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife."
Supportive wife
Phillip and Stephanie were married for 27 years before they separated in 2020 (Alan Davidson/REX/Shutterstock)
The couple remain married and Stephanie has supported him through the affair scandal (Getty Images Europe)Phil's wife Stephanie Lowe was "absolutely shattered" when her husband announced he was gay - but the couple have stayed married. Last week, the pair reunited for a family weekend outing along London's Southbank in the sunshine, meeting friends before grabbing a bite to eat.
The couple, who share two grown-up children, Molly and Ruby, 27, have learned to navigate a new family dynamic after Phil came out as gay on This Morning four years ago, and the pair is said to have 'no plans' to divorce.
The duo, who married in 1993, separated after 27 years when Phil publicly came out in 2020. At the time, Phil said: "I must have been gay when I wed but I was so happy I never considered it. I am not saying I didn't know whatever was there. I thought 'OK whatever this is, you stay back because I am happy'."
A friend close to the couple said it was "humiliating" for Stephanie. The source told the Mirror: "She and the girls love him very much and will support him as much as they can, but the knowledge they have been living a lie for so long is terribly hurtful."
However, Phil was seen wearing his wedding ring when he visited his elderly mum Pat, 87, in Cornwall over the summer. The duo have yet to legally end their nuptials and remain married. According to sources, they still have feelings of love which makes getting divorced too painful.
A source told OK! Magazine in November: "Whatever Phillip has done behind Steph's back, she still loves him. Even if the love they shared in the beginning of their marriage is different to what it is now, the love is still very much there." The source went on to suggest being an official divorce could be too much of an insult to add to Phil's injury.
Phil's daughters reportedly thought he had 'screwed up' but have also stood by him over the last few years (Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)They claimed: "Steph is, and always will be, Phillip's support system. She hasn't divorced him because she doesn't want to see him fall any further." It came after Phil's "unwise but not illegal" affair ultimately cost him his career - as his managers and ITV cut ties with him due to the explosive scandal. Back in May, he initially quit This Morning.
In an interview with BBC News, Phil revealed he turned to wife Stephanie before releasing his confessional statement. He said: "I had a wonderful marriage.. have! a wonderful marriage", correcting himself - before proudly flashing up his gold wedding band still on his left hand. "Not brilliant right now," he added, before praising Steph as being an "incredibly supportive wife".
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Clarifying his relationship with Steph, Phil said: "We are separated but we are very much together. Let's just say it was an incredibly difficult conversation. The most difficult conversation I've ever had to have with her and she is extremely disappointed because I lied to her as well. But she wished me well today."
In a second interview with The Sun, Phil said his wife was "very, very angry" after he confessed to her about his affair, and his daughters also thought he had "screwed up royally" but had also been "unbelievably supportive". He opened up about realising that he was gay while still being happily married. He said: "Something started trying to trip me up and I couldn't figure out what it was."
At the end of last year, it was claimed the pair had plans to spend Christmas together. A source told Woman's Own: "Christmas is all about spending time with the people you love. While Phil and Steph are no longer together in the traditional sense, there's still a lot of love between them." They added: "Phil spends a lot of time with his family, which includes Steph, so it's natural that they'd spend the big day together."
Celeb friendships
Phillip caught up with loyal pal Vanessa Feltz in August, while Richard Madeley said he'd been in touch (SplashNews.com)In the days following Phil's bombshell revelation, he retreated to Cornwall to spend time with his mum and was later papped having lunch with pal Vanessa Feltz at West London restaurant, Little Bird, in August. This was the first time Phil, 61, had been seen out and about in London since stepping down from his ITV role last May.
TalkTV host Vanessa, 61, publicly, stood by Phil through the scandal, making the following statement in June: "I'm absolutely devastated on behalf of everyone. I've always been good friends with Holly and Phil, I've been on that show for years and years. I just feel very sorry for anybody who's been hurt or implicated in what's happened. I hope the show will continue."
In October, former This Morning host Richard Madeley shared that he had been in touch with Phil. "I feel very sorry for Phillip - it seemed a pretty savage outcome after 21 years," he said. "It seemed quite brutal to be honest. I took a paternal interest in it - I kept in touch, told him to take it easy and that it’ll be all right. He agreed. All things pass in the end."
Then earlier this month, presenter pal Lorraine Kelly described Phil as 'generous' compared to other men in showbiz, and argued that "everybody lost their minds a wee bit" during the outcry. She told The Sunday Times Magazine: "I was heartbroken when all that happened. It's just a shame for the amazing career that he's had, for it to end like that."
Lorraine added: "He's doing all right and he will be all right, but it's hard." She said she found 'cancel culture' "very sad and quite depressing", and that there are people in the entertainment industry who are "gleeful at seeing somebody's downfall".
Lorraine Kelly said she was 'heartbroken' by his career breakdown and described Phil as 'generous'Career change
Meanwhile, Phil's talent agency, brands and charities brutally slashed him from their books soon after his announcement. He reportedly hired a team of wealth management accountants to handle his financial affairs in August, as he sought to find ways to make an income beyond TV presenting.
It's understood that Phil is now on the books of Sedulo, a company that specialises in helping well-heeled clients grow their wealth. Documents filed to Companies House revealed Phil's real estate firm, Fistral Properties Ltd, had been registered with Sedulo's London offices, and it's likely this will be his primary source of income going forward.
Phil was allegedly approached by a leading book publisher for an informal chat about a potential deal, with the dad-of-two apparently keen to tell his side of the story. A source told the Mirror in August: "Phil has had several approaches by book publishers - including Hodder & Stoughton - about a new memoir, in which he talks more fully about This Morning, Holly, and how his career at ITV imploded. His account of this would be incredibly compelling, and no doubt lucrative, though at this stage money has not yet been discussed."
They added: "Phil liked the approach from Hodder and has spoken to them briefly. He made it clear in the conversation that he would like the chance to tell his story in full, and in some ways to draw a line under what has happened, but that he would not do so without the approval of his family. Stephanie and the girls have been his lifeline all this time, while he's been going through hell in private. So any further discussions are on hold until he has spoken to them, and they are happy with him going ahead."
Sources close to Phillip have reportedly been trying to encourage him to find a 'fulfilling life' away from showbusiness, with the former host said to be feeling miserable about his current career prospects. A source told the Mail Online: "Phillip has been very, very down recently. He doesn't know how he is going to work again. He is pretty sure that he is done. He keeps saying he will never work again. It's devastating for him to realise but he also knows that there is not a lot he can do about it. He doesn't know who will take him, he knows there is no way back to ITV or the BBC."
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