In a dramatic year for daytime TV series This Morning, Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby have now both left the sofa they shared for more than a decade.
Schofield’s fall from grace came quickly after he admitted an affair with a much younger male colleague while still married to his wife and lost his talent representation before leaving ITV entirely.
Willoughby said her decision in October was to spend more time “for me and my family” and Kevin Lygo, the channel’s managing director of media and entertainment, said she remained “a much-loved member of the ITV family” and he hoped to be able to work with her in the future.
Here is a timeline of how events unfolded:
– February 2020: Schofield comes out as gay after nearly 27 years of marriage to his wife Stephanie in an emotional on-air chat with co-host and longtime friend Willoughby. The couple hugs on the sofa.
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have both been criticized
September 2022: The co-hosts have come under fire for claiming they skipped the queue for Queen Elizabeth II’s lying in state while they were there as members of the media filming a segment for This Morning.
April 17, 2023: The first hint that something is wrong comes in the first show after the Easter holidays. Schofield and Willoughby were both due to sit on the sofa after he said goodbye while his brother Timothy stood trial on child abuse charges. While Schofield is back in the studio, Willoughby is absent and says she has shingles.
10th of May: The Sun reports that the two “hardly speak to each other.”
May 11th: Schofield calls Holly “his rock” and says they are “best friends.”
May 15: The couple appear united on This Morning and make no reference to press reports about their relationship.
May 18: Schofield presents his final episode of This Morning.
May 20: Schofield is stepping down from This Morning with immediate effect. ITV says he will continue to present “prime-time shows,” including the British Soap Awards and a new prime-time series. Willoughby released a statement saying the sofa “won’t feel the same without him.”
Presenters Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond
May 21st: It is announced that Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond will host the show on Monday May 22, as Willoughby goes on early half-term leave. It is announced that she will appear as a presenter again on June 5th.
May 22: O’Leary and Hammond host the show and praise Schofield as “one of the best live television broadcasters this country has ever had.”
May 26: Schofield admits an “ill-advised but not illegal” affair with a much younger male colleague and resigns from ITV. He confirms the relationship began while he was still with his wife and says he will not be hosting the British Soap Awards, his last public engagement. He apologizes for lying about the relationship. He is dropped by his talent agency YMU.
May 27th: Willoughby accuses Schofield of lying to her about the affair, saying his admission was “very hurtful.” According to ITV, when the broadcaster investigated the matter in 2020, “no evidence of a relationship was presented and none was found beyond hearsay and rumours.”
28th of May: This Morning’s former GP, Dr. Ranj Singh, says the show is “toxic”, adding that two years ago when he worked there he raised concerns about “bullying and discrimination” and then felt “kicked out” for whistleblowing. ITV responded by saying that an external and independent consultant was appointed to carry out a post-complaint review which found “no evidence of bullying or discrimination”.
Dame Carolyn McCall, Managing Director of ITV
May 29th: Schofield releases a statement on This Morning denying “toxicity” and saying: “It’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice.” Former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes, claims there was a “complete cover-up” of the affair at ITV, and says in an interview with GB News that Willoughby should follow Schofield “out the door”.
31. May: In a letter seen by the PA news agency, ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall says the broadcaster has appointed a lawyer to conduct an external review into the way it handled the Schofield affair. She adds that Jane Mulcahy KC of Blackstone Chambers will “conduct an external review to establish the facts”.
1 June: Dame Carolyn will be asked to give evidence to a parliamentary committee on June 14 to answer questions about the broadcaster’s approach to safeguarding and complaints handling following Schofield’s departure.
The Sun publishes an interview with Schofield in which he says he feels sorry for Willoughby but owes his “biggest apology” to his former lover. He reiterates that he did not “groom” the man and that although his wife was “very, very angry” about the affair, his daughters “guarded” him during the conflict.
2th of June: The BBC is broadcasting its own interview with Schofield, conducted by media editor Amol Rajan. Schofield says he has “lost everything” and the affair has had a “catastrophic effect” on his mind. Speaking about the criticism he has faced, he says he “sees nothing in front of him” except “blackness and sadness” and now talks about his career in television “in the past tense.” Schofield also urges the media to leave the younger man alone.
June 5th: Willoughby makes an emotional return to This Morning, saying she feels “shocked, disturbed, disappointed and worried” following the revelations about Schofield. The episode was watched by an average of 839,000 viewers, the show’s highest daily average since Coronation Day on May 8, and reached a peak viewership of 1.6 million.
14th June: ITV boss Dame Carolyn is being questioned by MPs about Schofield’s exit, along with ITV chief executive Kevin Lygo and general counsel and company secretary Kyla Mullins. Dame Carolyn tells the Culture, Media and Sport Committee (CMS) that the broadcaster does not acknowledge allegations of a toxic culture at This Morning, saying: “This deeply disappoints me.”
5th September: This Morning loses its title of best daytime show at the National Television Awards to The Repair Shop after the show’s winning streak in the daytime category in recent years.
13.september: Dame Carolyn informs the CMS committee that the external review is being led by Jane Mulcahy KC and she has “conducted several witness interviews, with further interviews expected to continue throughout September”.
October 6th: A mall security guard is taken into custody over an alleged plot to kidnap and murder Willoughby. Gavin Plumb, 36, was charged at Chelmsford Magistrates Court with inciting a man called David Nelson to murder and kidnap in Harlow, Essex, between October 2 and 5. The other man was due to enter the UK from the US the following week, the court heard.
October 10th: Willoughby announces she is stepping down from presenting This Morning after 14 years, saying on Instagram that it is “an honor just to be part of history”. Following Willoughby’s announcement, Mr Lygo said: “She remains a much-loved member of the ITV family and we look forward to continuing to work with her in the future.”