Phillip Schofield responds to claims he's releasing tell-all book after TV exit
Lawyers for Phillip Schofield have denied he is releasing a 'tell-all' book in the wake of his affair scandal which cost him his TV career.
The 61-year-old was said to have been approached by several leading publishers eager to hear Phil's side of what went down at ITV after he admitted having an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a much younger male runner on This Morning.
After Phil conceded his career was over in a recent TV interview with the BBC, Talent and PR agent Dermot McNamara said the 61-year-old “has nothing to lose” by telling his side of the story – and it could even help “clear his name”. But the PR expert warned it is Phil’s former pal and co-host Holly Willoughby who should be worried if the memoir does come out.
But in a statement to the Mirror today, Phil's representative denied a new memoir is in the works and said: “There will be absolutely no such book!“ The Mirror reached out to Holly representatives, who declined to comment on this story.
Holly, 42, is said to have felt “betrayed” by colleague and once-close friend Phil – and experts said it could potentially be devastating if it emerges she knew more than she let on. She told This Morning viewers in her now infamous speech she had been left “shaken, troubled and let down” by Phil's actions.
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Although she said at the time she was “full of questions” for “someone who was not telling the truth”, it’s been claimed her and Phil no longer speak – with Phil unfollowing Holly on Instagram recently. It is thought Holly has since “fully complied and co-operated” with an independent inquiry into the ITV scandal.
Holly and Phil were once best pals - but reportedly no longer speak (Ash Knotek/REX/Shutterstock)Explaining what could happen if Phil were to release another memoir, PR expert Dermot told New magazine: “Phil would undoubtedly have an agenda to clear his name, but Holly would be a difficult subject to write about for him. He wouldn’t want to talk too negatively about her, they were friends for years after all. But he would also run the risk of being too gushy.
“The potential risk is that the public would analyse just how close they were and raise questions of what Holly could have known about the situation. If it did transpire that she knew a lot more than she let on, Holly wouldn’t want that information coming out.”
Dermot added: “Holly’s reached a point where she’s ready to move on... Although she’s willing to co-operate with ITV’s investigation into what’s happened, that’s because it signals the end of months of stress. A book would drag everything back up again.”
A source told the Mirror last week that Phil had put discussions ”on hold” while he speaks to his loved ones about what his next move should be as he tries to navigate life now he isn’t on TV for the first time in over 30 years. Phil's first memoir – Life Is What You Make It – was released in October 2020 just months after coming out as gay on This Morning. He reportedly received £1.5 million for the book, which went on to become a Sunday Times Bestseller.
It comes as Phil was dealt another career blow last week when he was quietly removed as the face of new Manchester tourist attraction, The Cube Live, which opened in February, and featured Phillip in promotional welcome videos as he was the former host of the TV show. Bosses at the new tourist attraction reportedly took the decision to remove Phillip in the wake of his affair scandal. He has since been replaced by Colin McFarlane, who did the voiceover for the ITV game show.
A source told the Daily Star: “Phillip has been completely erased. Bosses at The Cube Live don’t want to be associated with him in light of recent events.”
Phillip, who reportedly amassed a fortune of £10 million, is now said to have been ‘blacklisted’ from TV channels who “want to keep their distance” following the affair scandal.
He is now on the books of Sedulo, a firm that specialises in helping high-net-worth clients grow their wealth. And with the shamed star – who runs his own property business – likely to never work in the media again, he has turned to the firm’s staff to preserve his fortune.
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