Who Phillip Schofield really blames for This Morning’s Queuegate scandal revealed after host ‘clashed with ITV execs’
PHILLIP Schofield clashed with ITV bosses before This Morning's Queuegate scandal and told execs the segment was "ill-conceived".
The 62-year-old returned to TV screens on the Channel 5's Cast Away after his bombshell exit from ITV's This Morning in May 2023.
His friends have since claimed the former TV host begged his old ITV bosses Martin Frizell not to send him and Holly to view the Queen’s coffin for This Morning.
In September 2022, the presenters sparked national backlash for apparently jumping the queue to see the late Monarch lying in state at Westminster Hall.
However The Sun can now reveal Phil urged boss Martin to scrap the segment and feared it would set the "wrong tone".
He pleaded that the pair "remain outside" and dubbed the plan "ill-conceived".
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A pal said: “Phil didn’t even want to go to Westminster, he foresaw it would backfire and it did.
"He wanted to watch the procession from the bottom of his drive at home.
“They never actually jumped the queue and when they had to read a statement explaining that, it was even more galling for Phil because Holly was given the most lines.
“Phil predicted it would be perceived badly and he was right.”
It comes as Philip Schofield's true feelings towards his arch enemy Eamonn Holmes have also sensationally revealed.
And, Phil's friends also revealed the "three s***s" as Holly Willoughby, and his old ITV bosses Martin Frizell and Emma Gormley.
On Castaway, former ITV presenter said people "threw me under a bus"; in cryptic bombshell confessions.
He was referring to his former This Morning colleague Eamonn Holmes.
A defiant Eamonn hit back after the show aired and said: “I am very proud to have done it.”
The pair have been embroiled in a bitter rivalry since Eamonn and then-wife Ruth Langsford quit This Morning after 15 years in 2021.
Holly Willoughby is also said to have her ill-feeling towards Eamonn – notably when they went on air together to interview Phil when he came out as gay in 2020.
A pal said: “Phil knows Eamonn hates him and says it’s because he never texted him to say he was sorry to see him leaving.
"He thinks Eamonn is petty and bitter – and took great delight in being involved in Phil ‘coming out’.
Five most explosive ITV bombshells from Phillip Schofield’s Cast Away as TV insiders hit back
By Mary Gallagher
PHILLIP Schofield has finally returned to the screen after a stormy year and the TV world is buzzing.
The former This Morning legend spent ten days alone on an island where he filmed himself talking to camera for the Channel 5 show, Cast Away.
His wife Steph, and daughters Ruby and Mollie sent him off with an emotional final dinner, before he revealed shocking details about his This Morning departure, his personal life, and his fallout with ITV.
However, some ITV insiders have accused him of lying on the show - after he blamed his brother's arrest for being sacked from This Morning.
Here are the biggest revelations from the interview:
Drowning in guilt
Schofield admitted that he was overwhelmed with guilt following his public exit from This Morning.
He confessed that the controversy surrounding his affair with a younger colleague consumed him emotionally.
"I was drowning," Schofield revealed, noting that the backlash was far worse than he had anticipated.
ITV fallout: No contact after he left
The presenter didn’t hold back when discussing his fallout with ITV.
Schofield revealed that he hasn’t had any contact with the channel since he was fired.
Schofield blamed his brother for being fired from his lucrative This Morning and Dancing on Ice gigs.
Despite years as one of ITV’s most high-profile stars, the relationship turned frosty after his scandal made headlines.
He said: "Man alive, people can be fake. They can be so fake.
"With you when it’s all going well and suddenly utter, utter betrayal.
"When the tidal wave washed through and it washed everybody away, the ones that were still standing, they’re the ones that matter.
"And I thought, how many friends do you need?
"I don’t need 200 fake friends. I’ve got 10, 15, friends I would die for, and they would die for me."
His affair wasn't illegal
The TV veteran addressed the ongoing talk about his affair, clarifying that, while morally wrong, it wasn’t illegal.
He said the relationship happened between "two consenting adults" and denied any improper conduct while the younger colleague worked on This Morning.
Holly Willoughby silence
Surprisingly, Schofield admitted that his friendship with Holly Willoughby has been effectively over since the scandal broke.
Once daytime TV’s golden duo, Schofield confessed they no longer talk, with Holly keeping her distance ever since the affair hit the headlines.
Toxic work culture? Schofield says “No”
Amid reports of a "toxic" work culture at This Morning, Schofield pushed back against the allegations.
He praised the crew and behind-the-scenes staff, calling it a “wonderful place” to work.
The former host seemed baffled by claims of toxicity, despite his own highly public exit.
Struggling with mental health
Schofield also revealed the emotional toll the past year has taken on his mental health. He admitted to having dark thoughts, sharing, “I didn’t see a way forward.”
He thanked his family and close friends, who have been a lifeline throughout the ordeal.
“Phil recalled how Eamonn made jokes about Phil being gay.
“He also told us Holly was furious with Eamonn that day because he told her that he would ‘take over the interview’ if she became too emotional.
"Phil said he’d never seen Holly so angry.”
Phil also found it humorous after Eammon's own marriage woes hit headlines after previously mocking Phil on his GB News show.
Weeks after the announcement of the end of his 14-year marriage to Ruth, Eamonn’s close friendship with Katie Alexander was revealed by The Sun.
A friend added: “Phil heard about Eamonn having a phone-in on GB News to get people to call in if they’d had an affair with Phil.
"Not a single person rang in apparently.”
Meanwhile, pals of Phil opened up about the "three s***s" hinted at on Castaway.
They claimed he blames Holly and their This Morning boss Martin for staging an “organised coup” to get him sacked after the jailing of his brother Timothy.
Phil now brands Holly as “the witch” who he accused directly of “bringing him down”.
The dad-of-two even uses a hag’s emoji when message his pals about her.
Phil also accused Emma, ITV’s Managing Director of Daytime, of treating him “unfairly” over his departure last May.
A friend said: “Phil’s three s***s are Holly, Martin and Emma.
“He dislikes Holly so much now he calls her ‘the witch’ when talking about her and sends the emoji to his mates if she comes up.
“Phil believes Holly, Martin and Emma were the reason he was booted from ITV and he thinks they treated him unfairly.
“He messaged Holly and told her, ‘You brought me down.’ He was furious, and still is.”
The sensational revelations were kept from airing in Castaway because they were viewed as too explosive, according to his close friends.
In the three-parter, Phil claimed he was sacked because of bad publicity around his brother Timothy, who was jailed for 12 years for sexual offences involving a child.
But publicly his departure played out with Phil releasing a statement saying he was stepping down after an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger runner.
Cast Away verdict
By Rod McPhee
OVER three nights - and three hour-long episodes - Phillip Schofield has been bearing his soul in new Channel 5 show Cast Away.
And it's basically a chance for the former This Morning host to explain the circumstances that saw him leave the show last year.
To put it mildly, he left under something of a cloud, admitting he'd had a fling with a much younger runner on the programme. But in the C5 show he presents his own versions of events - one which is at odds with the narrative that emerged at the time.
He was portrayed as a man who'd had an "unwise" affair, who'd resigned as a result and had let many of his colleagues down.
But in Cast Away Phillip insists he was fired by ITV and not for the affair, but because of the bad publicity that surrounded the crimes of his paedophile brother. He summed it up best when he claimed he'd been "pushed under a bus."
After watching Cast Away what you're left with is something rather confusing, however.
Did Phillip think he'd done something wrong by having the fling with the runner, or not? For example, he said he wouldn't have been slammed for it quite so much if it were a heterosexual fling.
He said he: "would have received a pat on the back for having an affair with a woman." This infers that the only thing wrong with it was that it was a same sex fling. So why does he also say: "I will be forever sorry. I screwed up. I made a mistake."
The answer, I suspect, is that the whole affair was a murky business. There were so many blurred lines around appropriateness, professionalism and honesty.
The only firm conclusion you can draw from the show is that Phillip himself isn't ENTIRELY sure to what extent He was guilty of wrongdoing.
Amid the confusion, what will the viewing public think? I suspect that this will leave those who disliked Phillip to feel even more suspicious of him.
Those who backed him, will feel reassured too. But those who still aren't sure what to think will be none-the-wiser - and I'm not sure if that's what Phillip would have wanted.
On Castaway Phil said: “I was fired for the bad publicity, for someone else’s crime.”
His anger is clear in messages seen by The Sun between Phil and ITV top boss Kevin Lygo following his exit.
A friend said: “Phil told Kevin in no uncertain terms that he believed Holly and Martin wanted him gone.
"He texted Kevin and told him he believed his sacking was an ‘organised coup’.”
One pal added: “As for Emma, Phil believes she treated him unfairly.”
Phil now believes that Holly started to distance herself from him for the sake of “her brand”.
Holly has never publicly spoken about Timothy’s crimes but in messages seen after his arrest Holly spoke with Phil about him.
In one, she told him of her shock and it was “hard to believe”.
A friend said: “Phil feels that he was sacked because of the bad press around his brother. Everyone knew about Tim’s arrest – including Holly.
“They had a backstage make-up room called ‘The Sanctuary’ at This Morning, where Phil first assembled trusted pals including Holly and told them, tearfully, about his brother. Holly held his hand and was super kind.
“But Phil feels she distanced herself from it publicly because it was bad for her brand. But she supported Phil and was disgusted by what his brother had done.”
The rift between them spiralled, with Phil later admitting he had lied to Holly about his affair with a colleague.
Pals said Phil was hurt when Holly cut him off, especially after the help he had given her with work. They said: “He feels so betrayed by Holly still.
“As far as he’s concerned he made her career at This Morning. And he got her the I’m A Celebrity hosting job by texting his best pal Dec and saying, ‘Holly would be perfect for this.’
“Once, Holly’s husband Dan Baldwin even confronted him about giving Holly more airtime on This Morning – which naturally Phil did. He agreed, formally, to let her have a question and then him - even if she then missed a good follow-up. When he once broke the rule and chipped in she rolled her eye - that bit was reported at the time as viewers noticed.
“In Phil’s eyes, Holly repaid his kindness by knifing him. He lied to her and apologised, but she dropped him, despite everything they had been through.
“He’ll never get over what he feels is a betrayal.”
Phil is still close pals with a number of big ITV names, including I'm A Celebrity host Dec.
A friend said: “Even people like Dr Ranj reached out. He was desperate to assure Phil he didn’t mean him when he was talking about ‘toxicity’ on This Morning.
"He knows who his real friends are.”
Phil also hails his wife Steph and daughters Molly and Ruby as his “rocks”.
A friend said: “At his lowest when he left ITV, they had a bed ready for him in the psychiatric unit of a private hospital because they were so fearful he would harm himself."
Castaway was watched by more than a million people each night. and pals claim Burning Bright Productions, who made the show, have been discussing making future documentaries with Phil.
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One added: “It is something Phil is very open to but he wants to take time to consider his options.”
Holly’s team did not comment when approached by The Sun.