Vanessa Feltz was broadcasting live when the news of Phillip Schofield‘s resignation from ITV and confession of an affair emerged.
The television personality was required to react to the announcement in front of the nation, making for uncomfortable television.
Phil issued a statement on Friday (May 26) confirming his resignation from all ITV positions with “immediate effect” and apologising to his employers and family for lying about an affair with a much younger male coworker.
Phil finally addressed the issue, alleging that despite meeting the runner when he was an adolescent, their ‘unwise’ but ‘not illegal’ relationship was the result of years of speculation.
It is unknown what Phil’s television destiny will entail or how programmes like This Morning and Dancing On Ice will proceed.
Vanessa, 61, and Phil, also 61, have been frequent guests on This Morning, where they are renowned for dispensing ruthless relationship advice to respondents.
While she remained professional as she learned of Phil’s startling, tell-all statement, her attempt to maintain a poker expression will not have gone unnoticed by the audience.
When the news broke, Vanessa was speaking with journalist Nigel Pauley on TalkTV.
She began by responding to recent rumours regarding Phil and co-host Holly Willoughby‘s ‘fallout’, amid claims that they were ‘barely communicating’ behind the scenes.
Vanessa said, defending the pair: ‘They haven’t done anything to harm any members of the public, they’ve just presented a daytime television show, so I feel it’s only right to say that as I truly think that and I know them both and like them both.’
She then passed the microphone to Nigel, who was available to elucidate the most recent developments.
‘Looking at this as a journalist, I would say there’s a lot of stuff that’s gonna come out about this,’ he said.
According to the former Mirror reporter, there were rumours of a relationship between Phil and a younger colleague, whom he did not identify in order to safeguard his privacy.
He went on to explain that Phil was also let go from his talent agency after 35 years of service.
Nigel described how the agency was essentially ‘formed around’ Phil.
‘Their main person for 30, 40 years has been Phillip Schofield.
‘Now, for him to be dropped by an agency which was virtually his agency, is shocking.’
He concluded by predicting the imminent arrival of “more negativity.”
‘If an agent drops someone and uses the words honesty and integrity, that’s not good,’ he said.
Nigel, a media commentator, spoke the most throughout the segment.
In the meantime, Vanessa occasionally hummed and nodded as she attentively listened.
Phil’s actions caused ITV to issue a statement in which they expressed “extreme disappointment.”
In a statement, an ITV spokesperson stated, “We are extremely disappointed by Phillip Schofield’s admissions of deceit tonight.”
‘The relationships we have with those we work with are based on trust. Philip made assurances to us which he now acknowledges were untrue and we feel badly let down.’
They concluded: ‘We accept his resignation from ITV and therefore can confirm that he will not be appearing on ITV as had previously been stated.’
Phillip Schofield statement in full
‘I am making this statement via the Daily Mail to whom I have already apologised personally for misleading, through my lawyer who I also misled, about a story which they wanted to write about me a few days ago.
‘The first thing I want to say is: I am deeply sorry for having lied to them, and to many others about a relationship that I had with someone working on This Morning. 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.
‘When I chose to come out I did so entirely for my own wellbeing. Nobody “forced” me out. Neither I nor anyone else, to my knowledge, has ever issued an injunction, super or otherwise, about my relationship with this colleague, he was never moved on or sacked by or because of me. In an effort to protect my ex-colleague I haven’t been truthful about the relationship.
‘But my recent, unrelated, departure from This Morning fuelled speculation and raised questions which have been impacting him, so for his sake it is important for me to be honest now.
‘I am painfully conscious that 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.
‘I have therefore decided to step down from the British Soap Awards, my last public commitment, and am resigning from ITV with immediate effect expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me.
‘I will reflect on my very bad judgment in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it. To protect his privacy, I am not naming this individual and my deepest wish is that both he and his family can now move on with their lives free from further intrusion, and that this statement will enable them to do so.
‘I ask the media now to respect their privacy. They have done nothing wrong, and I ask that their privacy should be respected.’