This Morning bosses have named a replacement for Phillip Schofield on This Morning as the presenter takes a break from the show.
TV presenter Phillip, 60, normally hosts the program Monday to Thursday alongside Holly Willoughby, 42, but so far this week he has been replaced by Alison Hammond, 48.
It has now emerged that comedian and Masked Singer host Joel Dommett, 37, will replace Phillip on Wednesday and Thursday this week, with Phil returning on Monday April 3.
It comes after Phil’s brother Timothy Schofield, 54, was taken to court on charges of sexually abusing a schoolboy after he allegedly made a confession to his famous sibling.
Timothy reportedly had an “obsessive sexual interest” in a teenager and traveled to the This Morning presenter’s home to confide in him.
Change: This Morning bosses have named a replacement for Phillip Schofield on This Morning as the presenter takes a break from the show
Regular slot: TV presenter Phillip, 60, usually hosts the program Monday through Thursday alongside Holly Willoughby, 42
On the air: It has now emerged comedian and Masked Singer host Joel Dommett, 37, will replace Phillip on Wednesday and Thursday this week
His trial heard that when Phillip told his TV personality sibling that he and the boy had a sex act together, he replied, “What did you say?” And after the defendant described the “time” he and his alleged victim were dating, the celebrity hit back: “What the hell is that? [that]?’
The TV presenter told his brother it “should never happen again” and later gave a statement to police, which is part of the case against his younger sibling, the court has been told.
Timothy Schofield is facing 11 charges for alleged sex offenses committed against the boy for three years since October 2016. He denies them all.
He is accused of causing him to observe and engage in sexual activity. He is also said to have performed sexual acts in front of the accuser.
Prosecutor Robin Shellard opened the case, saying: “This is a case about Timothy Schofield’s obsessive sexual interest [his alleged victim] and the subsequent sexual abuse of this teenager.’
The jury heard the abuse progress until the alleged victim confronted Schofield in August 2021, saying “things” had to stop.
The accused, who was doing civilian work for the police at the time, then visited his older brother the next month, the court heard.
Mr Shellard said the “perverse relationship” clearly “affected” both the accused and his alleged victim. He said: “On September 12, 2021 he called his brother Phillip and said his head was in a mess and he could come see him.
Trial: It comes after Phil’s brother Timothy Schofield, 54 (left), went on trial on charges of sexually abusing a schoolboy after allegedly making a confession to his famous sibling
Family: Timothy covers his face with a gray coat as he left Exeter Crown Court this week
“The defendant is seven years younger than Phillip and they hadn’t grown up particularly close, but in December 2019 the defendant told his brother he was gay.
“According to Phillip, the defendant arrived that day and was extremely agitated. His brother described him as very angry and desperate.
“The defendant also told his brother that he was impotent. The defendant then said his brother would hate him for what he was about to say, but Phillip said he wouldn’t. Then the defendant said … last year [he and the boy] had watched porn and waxed together.
‘Phillip Schofield then said, ‘What did you just say?’ and the defendant repeated that it was last year and only once. Phillip said it should never happen again.’
Schofield then described the boy’s body in a sexual way and said he had a name for the “time” they spent together, the court heard. The TV presenter replied: “What the hell is that? [that]?’ and was “shocked,” the court was told.
Mr Shellard said the accused then “went home” and “it wasn’t talked about anymore”. The alleged victim began counseling in November 2021 and told a therapist about the allegations of abuse. They alerted the police, and Schofield was arrested days later.
Jumping in: Alison Hammond, 48 (right), has been presenting This Morning alongside Holly so far this week
Judge Mrs Justice Johannah Cutts revealed to the jury that the defendant’s sibling was a celebrity and urged them to ignore any possible distractions from his fame.
She said: “His brother is Phillip Schofield and he happens to be the popular television personality. I say “accidentally” because that fact has no relevance in this case at all.
She added: “The fact that he is the defendant’s brother does not alter this trial, the defendant will be tried as fairly as any other defendant.”
In a police interview played out in court, the alleged victim described how she was first abused. “It was really awful,” he said. He said Schofield bought a projector for them to watch adult films together. Some films contained “violent” plots and animals, the court heard.
He said he realized the defendant “had this whole fantasy of being sexually active with me” and accused him of developing the “scheme” over several years.
The accuser was afraid to go to the police because of the “wicked and vile” defendant’s “terrible temper” and was “greatly afraid of the consequences”.
Police arrested Schofield, from Bath, Somerset, on December 3, 2021 and searched his home.
They confiscated his electronic devices, on which the browsing history showed searches for “Young Teen Box Set” and “Gay Teen Porn Torrents” and he also had “a series of images” of “teenagers in sexualized poses” among 30 indecent images of children , the court was told.
Timothy Schofield (right) has denied 11 sexual offenses against the boy over three years since October 2016. He is pictured here with his brother Phillip Schofield (left) and their mother Pat (centre).
Timothy Schofield, pictured here leaving Exeter Crown Court today, is said to have “emotionally blackmailed” the boy into engaging in sexual acts
Timothy is said to have “emotionally blackmailed” the boy into engaging in sexual acts while porn was projected onto a wall and became “moody, angry quicker, a little more unpredictable” after the victim confronted him.
The teenager claimed Timothy made him feel like he couldn’t “escape” the abuse and was “forced” to have a “secret sex life” with him that felt “really, really wrong”.
The boy dismissed the defendant’s lawyer’s suggestions that he was “exaggerating” the claims and that the sexual activity only lasted “18 months” when he was an older teenager.
The student agreed that Schofield became “moody, angry quicker, a little more unpredictable” after confronting him about the sexual acts.
He also claimed the defendant once molested him with alcohol to make him “more malleable” for sexual advances.
He said it was “part of a plan” to get him drunk so “some form of sexual things could happen.”
Peter Binder, who is defending himself, told the alleged victim that it was an “exaggeration”.
He also said he “exaggerated” how many years there had been sexual activity between them, implying it was only “18 months” when he was an older teenager.
Mr Binder said: “You knew what you and the defendant did was wrong, but you went along with it without reluctance.”
Prosecutors claim Phillip Schofield (left) was furious after Timothy (right) allegedly made a confession to him in September 2021
The alleged victim denied that this was the case, saying: “All my statements are true”.
The alleged victim said if he didn’t do what Schofield requested, he would get “mad at me” and give him the “cold shoulder treatment.”
“I almost felt like he was emotionally blackmailing me into doing it,” he said.
The process, which is expected to last a week, continues.
The police IT technician is currently on trial at Exeter Crown Court (pictured) on 11 sex offenses which he denies.