Eamonn Holmes claims ITV ‘knew’ about Phillip Schofield’s affair
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.”
(Twitter/Eamonn Holmes/Grab by PinkNews)
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”.
‘Holly must have asked him about this, people around him must have asked him about this and he must have lied.’
Editor at Large at The Daily Mail, Charlotte Griffiths, says there ‘is more to come’ on Phillip Schofield and ITV in tomorrow’s papers. pic.twitter.com/zo43wHJAO7
— GB News (@GBNEWS) May 27, 2023
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”.
Woke ITV CEO Carolyn McCall happily gets rid of Piers Morgan, Jeremy Clarkson, Carol McGiffin and Jeremy Kyle, but allowed her senior executives to cover up for Phillip Schofield for FOUR YEARS.
They must all step down now.
This was the reason I left ITV in November 2019.
— Dan Wootton (@danwootton) May 26, 2023
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.”
PinkNews has contacted ITV for comment.
