hillip Schofield has said he is “utterly broken and ashamed” over the affair he had with a younger male colleague, but denies grooming the man.
Schofield resigned from ITV last week and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague.
In his first interview since leaving ITV and This Morning, the 61-year-old presenter told The Sun newspaper: “I did not, I did not (groom him).
“There are accusations of all sorts of things. It never came across that way because we’d become mates. I don’t know about that.
“But of course I understand that there will be a massive judgment, but bearing in mind, I have never exercised that anywhere else.”
Schofield told The Sun the affair with the younger colleague began in 2017 after a “consensual moment” in his dressing room. He said: “It was not a love affair, it was not a relationship, we were not boyfriends; we were mates.”
The former This Morning presenter said he was struggling with his sexuality at the time, and the pair were together “maybe five or six times”.
He told the paper that he did not think about the possibility the affair, which he said began when the younger man was 20, could ruin his career.
“But I didn’t lie to protect my career,” he said. “He didn’t want his name in public. He wanted his own life.”
He said his wife was “very, very angry” after he confessed to her about his affair. Schofield told The Sun he had previously denied rumours about the affair to her when she had asked about them.
His sit-down interview comes as the head of ITV has been called to give evidence before MPs on the broadcaster’s handling of the affair.
Dame Carolyn McCall, chief executive of ITV
/ PA MediaITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall will be grilled on the network’s “approach to safeguarding” in the wake of Schofield’s relationship with the younger employee.
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee said it had written to Dame Carolyn after she announced an external review into ITV’s handling of the affair. The session is set to take place on June 14.
In a letter to ITV, committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage said: “The Committee regards the media industry’s duty of care towards its staff a matter of the highest importance.
“Whilst the recent coverage focuses on the Schofield case, it also raises fundamental issues about safeguarding and complaint handling both at ITV and more widely across the media.
“These issues should, particularly in the case of Public Service Broadcasters, be open to scrutiny.”
On Wednesday, ITV announced an external review, led by a barrister, to “establish the facts” over the affair which Schofield has said was “unwise, but not illegal”.
The former This Morning presenter left the network last week after he admitted lying about his relationship with the younger man while still married to his wife.
ITV previously said it had investigated in 2020, but that both parties repeatedly denied the relationship.
The broadcaster said on Wednesday there had been “a lot of inaccuracy” in reporting, and that the former employee Schofield admitted to an affair with had been offered support by the broadcaster.
It said in a letter to MPs: “The ITV employee was aged 19 when he first did work experience at This Morning … and 20 years old when he applied and succeeded in securing a job as a runner on the show.”
Schofield resigned from ITV after admitting the relationship and that he had lied to colleagues, family and his agency about it.
The 61-year-old, who had been on This Morning for two decades, was swiftly dropped by his agent and as an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust in the wake of the revelations.
He will no longer present the British Soap Awards this weekend, which will instead be hosted by singer and presenter Jane McDonald.
He will also no longer front a new prime-time series which had been announced upon his departure from This Morning but prior to knowledge of the affair being made public.
ITV bosses are separately due to give evidence before MPs on the committee on Tuesday on the topic of proposed legislation governing broadcasters.