Richard Madeley has described Phillip Schofield’s sudden exit from This Morning as “brutal”.
Phil, 61, stepped down from his role as host in May after 21 years because he had an “ill-advised but not illicit” affair with a young male runner.
Richard, 67, who co-hosted the daytime program with his wife Judy from 1988 to 2001, found himself caught up in the drama and revealed he had been in touch with Phillip following Phillip’s resignation.
“I’m very sorry for Phillip – after 21 years (in the job) it seemed a pretty cruel outcome. “It seemed pretty brutal to be honest,” Richard told The Sun.
“I had a fatherly interest in it – I stayed in touch and told him to take it easy and that everything would be okay.” He agreed. In the end all things perish.
‘It was pretty cruel!’: Richard Madeley has described Phillip Schofield’s sudden exit from This Morning as ‘brutal’.
His word: Richard, 67, who hosted the daily program with his wife Judy from 1988 to 2001, has plunged into the drama (picture 2009)
“We’ve all had terrible experiences and the worst ones are the phones that come out of the blue and you don’t see them coming. Politicians say they are one debate away from disaster, and that is still the case today in our industry.’
When asked if he would ever take his place on the sofa, Richard said he “enjoyed it but would never go back”.
Richard will instead appear on Chloe Madeley’s ITVBe reality show A Family Affair as she celebrates her first year as a mother to Bodhi alongside husband James Haskell.
Web has contacted ITV for comment.
There has been speculation about who will take over Phillip’s role as co-presenter on ITV’s flagship daytime program.
ITV bosses have been trying to find a more permanent sidekick for 42-year-old Holly, with Alison Hammond, Dermot O’Leary, Rylan Clarke and Josie Gibson also in contention for the role.
However, management have reportedly kept their eye on Good Morning Britain presenter Ben Shephard, who impressed when he stepped in on the This Morning sofa last week.
Sources say Ben, 48, is the “leading candidate” to replace Phillip in the role after stepping in earlier this week.
Retirement: Phil, 61, stepped down from his role as host in May after 21 years because of an “ill-advised but not illicit” affair with a young male runner (pictured with Holly Wiloughby).
Stay in touch: Phil and Holly pictured with Richard and Judy in 2018
Ben, who previously served as replacement presenter on This Morning for Schofield between 2005 and 2011, impressed the station’s senior staff when he appeared on the show.
This Morning was originally going to be built around Holly with rotating co-hosts, like GMB does with Susanna Reid, but now bosses have changed their mind and want someone they can work with most days .
A source told the Mail: “Ben did really well and bosses were delighted with his partnership with Holly and there was great feedback from lots of viewers.”
“Ben is known at ITV for being very popular with viewers of all the shows he presents.” He also enjoys the trust of the public and is very popular at ITV. He has hosted so many shows for the channel.
“He and Holly also have years of age – he presented This Morning a few years ago and they have a great relationship.”
Last month it was revealed that the This Morning scandal could be turned into a “stunning” drama series.
The production company behind the series believes Channel 4 would be a “perfect fit”, a source told The Sun.
Replacement: Management is reportedly eyeing Good Morning Britain presenter Ben Shephard to replace Phillip on This Morning
They said: “The plot will reflect what happened. People have seen it from the outside, but the drama will give a glimpse into what may have happened behind closed doors.”
The disgraced star stepped down from hosting the daytime show after 21 years as he admitted he had repeatedly lied to his bosses about having an affair with a runner.
Phillip – who described the relationship as “unwise but not illegal” – cheated on his wife Stephanie with the young male colleague.
The rendezvous was kept secret for years until he admitted to The Mail on Sunday that he had lied and said it was just rumours.
He further confessed that he had misled his employer ITV, his colleagues, his friends and his then agents at management company YMU.
In an extraordinary series of interviews, he apologized for all the harm he had caused.
It caused an extraordinary domino effect for the show and ITV, with Holly having to make a statement saying she knew nothing about it.
But Phillip insisted he had not “groomed” the man, despite first meeting him when he was 15.
And he further explained: “Attraction is attraction.” In the gay world it is no different than in the heterosexual world or in the lesbian world.
“There should be no difference.” This is where homophobia comes into play.
“We first met when he was 15, I was at drama school.” [he attended].’
In a powerful, emotional interview with the BBC’s Amol Rajan, Schofield said his two daughters – Molly, 29, and Ruby, 27 – saved his life.
He said the fallout from his admission that he had lied about his affair with a younger male colleague had been “relentless” and revealed he had had suicidal thoughts.
Schofield said: “My girls saved my life.” They said last week they never left me for a moment. They were by my side every moment because they were afraid to let me out of their sight. What is it like for daughters to have to go through something like that?
“And they said to me, ‘Don’t you dare do that on our watch.’ We should take care of you. “If my girls hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be here because I don’t see my future.”