Phillip Schofield all smiles as he breaks cover and dines with Vanessa Feltz
Disgraced TV presenter Phillip Schofield is back smiling again - after turning to friend Vanessa Feltz for support.
The former This Morning host, 61, has been keeping a low profile since he quit TV at the end of May in the wake of his affair with a younger male colleague which he initially lied about.
This week he was spotted dining with Vanessa and he broke into a rare smile as they left West London restaurant Little Bird on Monday night. The pair kissed and hugged and were in animated conversation as Schofield broke out into a massive smile.
In the past Vanessa would appear alongside Schofield and Holly Willoughby as a guest on This Morning on ITV. Now presenter Vanessa has her own Talk TV show which she could invite Schofield onto, although he insisted his TV career was over in a recent interview.
Disgraced TV presenter Phillip Schofield is back smiling again - after turning to friend Vanessa Feltz for support (SplashNews.com)At the end of May following a media frenzy, Schofield admitted that he and a young man working on This Morning had a relationship which was more than a friendship - something Schofield describes as "unwise but not illegal". It took place while he was still married to his wife of 30 years, Stephanie Lowe, the mother of his two daughters Ruby and Molly.
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And crucially he also insisted to colleagues and bosses at This Morning that it was only a friendship at the time, something he now admits was untrue.
In his statement at the end of May he said: "I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.
"I have therefore decided to step down from the British Soap Awards, my last public commitment, and am resigning from ITV with immediate effect expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me. "I will reflect on my very bad judgement in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it.
"To protect his privacy, I am not naming this individual and my deepest wish is that both he and his family can now move on with their lives free from further intrusion, and that this statement will enable them to do so.
Vanessa supported Phil after he resigned from This Morning (SplashNews.com)After his statement Schofield's situation was debated and discussed on TV and radio with some claiming there was a toxic atmosphere on the set of This Morning. But Vanessa was one of the people vocal in support for the TV show and host Schofield.
In June, she said: “I’m absolutely devastated on behalf of everyone. I’ve always been good friends with Holly and Phil, I’ve been on that show for years and years. I just feel very sorry for anybody who’s been hurt or implicated in what’s happened. I hope the show will continue."
Referring to the alleged toxic atmosphere, Vanessa said: “I’ve never seen anything toxic in my life – and that’s the truth! "I’ve never seen, heard anything! Anything other than just nice people being nice. I’m not just saying that. I would tell the truth. Even last week, or the week before, I didn’t see anything.
The pair hugged each other goodbye after dining West London restaurant Little Bird (SplashNews.com)
Phil admitted to having an 'unwise but not illegal' affair with a young runner on This Morning (SplashNews.com)"It’s come as a big shock to me and I think to lots of contributors. People who say, ‘Everyone knew’ – it’s not true. It’s absolute rubbish!" She has also referred to Schofield as her "friend" in the column she writes for the Daily Express.
In June, Schofield said in an interview with the BBC he had "lost everything" after his affair.He resigned from ITV and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to the "unwise but not illegal" relationship. He also admitted he had lied about the relationship to ITV and his co-host Holly Willoughby, having fronted the show together since 2009.
In a clear sign he believed his television career is over, he told the BBC's Amol Rajan: "I see nothing ahead of me but blackness and sadness and regret and remorse and guilt." He said: "I'm not in television any more, I don't know what I am even remotely - if I get through this. "I don't know even remotely how I move forward - what am I going to do with my days?"
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Vanessa was a frequent guest on This Morning (SplashNews.com)He went on: "I did something very wrong and then I lied about it consistently and you can't live with that. How do you live with that?"
Schofield added being dropped as an ambassador by the Prince's Trust charity "broke my heart". After the revelations came out at the end of May, an ITV Spokesperson said: "We are deeply disappointed by the admissions of deceit made tonight by Phillip Schofield.
"The relationships we have with those we work with are based on trust. Philip made assurances to us which he now acknowledges were untrue and we feel badly let down. “We accept his resignation from ITV and therefore can confirm that he will not be appearing on ITV as had previously been stated.”
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