Philip Schofield paid his younger lover a ‘six-figure sum’ and had him sign an NDA
Philip Schofield agreed on a payment and non-disclosure agreement with ex-lover. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Philip Schofield made a “substantial” payment to a young colleague he had an affair with, according to recent reports.
It has emerged that the former This Morning presenter struck a deal with the crew member that also came with a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
Schofield, 61, admitted to a relationship with a younger member of the This Morning team and immediately stepped down from his presenter role and other ITV projects in May 2023.
He had been on the ITV programme for more than 20 years.
More details around the affair came to light as Schofield said it was an “unwise but not illegal” relationship that occurred during his 27-year marriage to Stephanie Lowe.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, he also admitted to lying about the relationship and confirmed that he met the younger man “when he was a teenager and was asked to help him get into television.”
However, he notes that it became “more than a friendship” when he began working on This Morning.
The bombshell admission threw the lighthearted morning talk show into chaos. What followed was days of media coverage, with Schofield giving interviews to the BBC and The Sun in which he called the affair a “grave error.”
He also suggested that the reaction to his affair would not have been as huge had it not been a homosexual relationship.
Phillip Schofield NDA
Months after the ordeal, these new reports of an NDA and payment are coming to light.
Schofield’s lawyers have detailed they a payment was made to cover the young man’s legal costs, therapy, compensation for loss of job and home. The related NDA applied to both sides.
The exact payment sum has not been made public, though The Times has reported it was a “six-figure” deal.
Schofield’s long-time presenting partner Holly Willoughby stayed on at This Morning after Schofield’s departure.
She released a statement that it was “very hurtful” to find out that she had been lied to.
Willoughby then stepped down from the show in October, five months after Schofield’s revelation. She had been part of the show for 14 years and cited her departure was for herself and her family.
Several presenters and guests of This Morning shared their thoughts on the situation, including Dr Ranj Singh.
“I didn’t know the truth about what was going on with Phillip, but I do know the issues with [This Morning] go far beyond him. It takes more than one person to create a culture,” he wrote on Twitter.
Reflecting on the situation, TV icon Lorraine admitted that she still “misses” Schofield and Willoughby.
After temporary presenters had been manning the This Morning ship for months – including Rylan, Alison Hammond, and Emma Willis – it was recently announced Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard will take over as the permanent hosts of the show.
