PHIL PROBE
Phillip Schofield did NOT co-operate with ITV probe into scandal & only one junior worker admitted knowing about affair
The probe was launched after Schofield came clean about the relationship
PHILLIP Schofield refused to take part in the ITV review that was launched after his affair with a colleague, it has today been revealed.
It has also been revealed that just one person knew about their relationship - and they only became aware in 2021.
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The runner, who was at least 30 years Schofield's junior, started at ITV in 2017 and the presenter admitted they shared a moment in his dressing room that same year.
The ex-This Morning broadcaster, 61, and his former lover were meant to be quizzed at length amid the review - after their affair came to light in May.
However, it was today revealed the pair refused to cooperate - along with four others.
In the report by Jane Mulcahy KC, Schofield is referred to as PS, and the runner PX - Person X.
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Ms Mulcahy wrote: "PS 'reluctantly decline[d]' my invitation to participate in the Review because of the risk to his health.
"I am informed that PS’s mental health has since deteriorated."
It said that the runner "wanted to move on with his life and was not prepared to assist with" the review.
Schofield was axed from This Morning in May and then admitted he'd had the affair after rumors started circulating.
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The report today revealed that of the 48 people interviewed - only one person knew of the affair before May.
And, they were only told two years prior.
The findings also suggest that one person is not Holly Willoughby as they were a junior at ITV.
Ms Mulcahly wrote: "Only one person to whom I spoke had any knowledge of an affair between PS and PX prior to May 2023 (they became aware in 2021) and that former junior employee did not report their knowledge at the time.
"Nor did others report suspicions from much earlier in 2017."
The review found that TV made “considerable efforts” to find out the truth about the relationship but was “unable to uncover the relevant evidence” until Schofield admitted it.
In her report, Ms Mulcahy said today: "I have no doubt that senior management are absolutely wedded to the importance of an open culture.
"But this culture is still not filtering down to junior employees, many of whom remain convinced that to speak out will have a detrimental impact on their careers."
'OPEN SECRET'
Earlier this year ITV boss Carolyn McCall told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee she first became aware of a rumour about the relationship in December 2019, two years after she joined ITV.
She ordered the probe after Schofield admitted lying to cover up his affair.
The boss said the TV star had been quizzed over widespread rumours but admitted she failed to launch a formal investigation.
Dame Carolyn denied the affair was an “open secret” at ITV.
ITV chairman Andy Costlett today said: “The KC review makes it clear that ITV’s management made considerable efforts to determine the truth about an alleged relationship between PS and Person X following media speculation.
"However, no concerns were reported and in the face of the denials of the individuals involved, ITV was unable to uncover the relevant evidence until PS’s admission in late May 2023.
"The KC makes it clear that the senior management of ITV and the senior team of This Morning were unaware of the nature of the relationship until PS’s statement in May 2023.
"We also asked the KC to review how we acted towards Person X and the KC has found that the company provided significant support to him."
STARS PROBED
Mr Cosslett added that "for the period under review there was 'no finding of a toxic culture and had there been one [she] would have said so".
Speaking after the review was published, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the CMS Committee, said: “It is reassuring that ITV is largely succeeding in managing complaints, however the Review’s recommendations show that there is a need for ITV to do much more to encourage people to speak out, and to support junior staff.
"It is not enough to have policies and procedures in place: staff, especially junior ones, need to know it’s safe to use them. I look forward to hearing more from ITV as it works to build this open culture throughout the organisation."
“New initiatives, such as the recommended Talent Charter are a step in the right direction for tackling power imbalance.
"The establishment of the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA), provides an opportunity for ITV and the media as whole to deliver change in an industry that is so often the subject of stories of bulling, harassment and other inappropriate behaviour.”
The investigation started in June, and was set to take 12 weeks.
However, in September it was revealed the findings would be delayed.
The probe was said to have seen Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, interviewed along with Holly Willoughby.
However, the stars were not mentioned once in the report.
In June, a source told The Sun on Sunday: “The inquiry will speak to all those involved.
"It will focus on what happened before and after he was first given work experience on the set of This Morning.
"And it will also seek to establish who knew what and when.
“As well as speaking to current staff it will also invite former employees to come forward with information.”
'DEEPLY INAPPROPRIATE'
Schofield left This Morning earlier this year when it emerged he had lied over the relationship with a runner almost 30 years his junior.
Dame Carolyn was called to the Commons to give evidence about the scandal, alongside ITV’s managing director Kevin Lygo and lawyer Kyla Mullins.
She branded the relationship “deeply inappropriate” and said only “ongoing reviews” were held. None of them established the full facts, she added.
Schofield and the runner — identified only as Person X — both “categorically denied” any affair.
Person X was asked 12 times, including twice with a human resources staffer present.
When asked if ITV had pressured him to remain silent, Dame Carolyn said: “I want to be clear it was Phillip putting him under pressure — not ITV putting him under pressure.
“They are two quite different things.”
ITV’s managing director Kevin Lygo said he confronted Schofield in February 2022 when he came out on This Morning and when he stepped down in May.
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He added: “He looked me in the eye and promised me there was no truth to the rumours of this relationship. Because it was corroborated by Person X, I believed him and I believed his agent.
“Then two days later, he comes out and says, ‘No, it’s a lie’.”
Timeline
2017: Phillip Scofield and the runner share "a consensual moment" in his dressing room
April 17, 2023: Schofield returns to This Morning after his brother Tim’s sex-abuse conviction - but Holly is missing.
May 10: The Sun exclusively reveals Schofield and Holly are barely talking after insiders said their relationship had "cooled"
May 11: Schofield breaks his silence and dubs Holly his "rock" in a bid to mend their broken relationship.
May 15: The daytime TV pair are said to be "feuding" - after their on-screen chemistry seems off.
May 20: Phillip announces he would be stepping back from his role on This Morning
May 21: Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond replace the pair on This Morning
May 22: The pair pay tribute to Schofield on air - branding him "one of the best live TV broadcasters"
May 26: Schofield admits to having an affair with "much younger man" - and announces he's stepping down from ITV
May 27: ITV says it investigated "rumours of a relationship" between Schofield and a younger employee - but the pair "repeatedly denied" the affair. Then, Holly also accuses Schofield of lying to her about the affair
May 28: Former This Morning resident doctor Ranj Singh claims "the issues with This Morning go far beyond"; Schofield
May 29: Minutes before This Morning begins, Schofield hits out at "the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show" - seeing former colleague Eamonn Holmes hit back
May 30: Phillip Schofield is axed as ambassador for Prince’s Trust. Separately, it emerges that ITV bosses are due to appear before the culture, media and sports committee
May 31: It's revealed Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary are to be quizzed along with Holly Willoughby and the rest of the show’s presenting roster
June 1: Schofield exclusively tells The Sun he feels "utterly broken and ashamed" by the affair
June 6: On her return to the This Morning sofa after two weeks away, Willoughby told viewers she had been left feeling "shaken, troubled, let down" following revelations over Schofield's affair, leading to his departure. ITV director grilled over Phillip Schofield row and gets mocked by MP who quotes Holly and asks ‘are you ok?’
October 10: Holly Willoughby quits This Morning, she says, "for me and my family"
December 7: ITV review is released - reveals just one other person knew about the affair
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