The Prince’s Trust, a charity founded by the King, has decided to remove Phillip Schofield as an ambassador after he admitted to having an affair with a younger male colleague and subsequently lying to conceal it. The charity stated that it was no longer appropriate for them to continue working with Schofield in light of his recent revelations. Schofield, who is 61 years old, made a statement last Friday addressing the affair and also announced his departure from ITV.
This development follows Schofield’s decision to leave his role on ITV’s This Morning after reports of a rift with his co-star Holly Willoughby emerged. The Prince’s Trust, like many charities, relies on celebrity ambassadors to support their work through fundraising and promotion.
Representatives from ITV and other channels are scheduled to appear before the Commons’ culture, media, and sports committee next week to discuss potential reforms to the laws governing public broadcasting. John Nicolson, an MP and former BBC journalist who sits on the committee, expressed concern about recent events at ITV and stated that he is looking forward to obtaining answers from ITV executives.
In his statement last Friday, Schofield apologized for repeatedly lying to conceal his relationship with the male employee, describing it as “unwise but not illegal.” ITV expressed deep disappointment in Schofield’s admissions of deceit and confirmed that they have severed all ties with him. The network had previously conducted an investigation into rumors of a relationship between Schofield and a younger employee in 2020, but both parties had repeatedly denied it.
In addition to being removed as an ambassador by The Prince’s Trust, Schofield was also dropped by his talent agency YMU. His departure from ITV means that he will no longer host the British Soap Awards next month, and he will not be fronting a new prime-time series that was previously being developed with him by the network.
