Phillip Schofield steps down from ITV after affair with "much younger male"

BorneTobyWilde

The whole '' position of responsibility'' is vague, but for that age of consent is 18 in UK, you could argue someone of his status who takes a kid under his wing at work, is indeed in a position of responsibility.

Beasty

ceadaoin threadbanned

lmimmfn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120648732#Comment_120648732

Age of consent in the UK is 16.

BorneTobyWilde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120648751#Comment_120648751

18 for '' people in a position of responsibility'' that's the law, 16 for the man on the street. But not for those in a position of responsibility , Coaches, Teachers, Trainers, Mentors ect, one could argue he falls under that position of responsibility, when it was he who got him that role on This Morning and took him under his wing

Lollipop95

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120648689#Comment_120648689

Well, he has left, so it could continue without him. Obviously there would be a huge problem if he was still there. Above board = not illegal. Which he said in his statement. But given tonight's news about him having the met the boy at 15, it looks very shady indeed and hard to believe Holly, etc didn't know anything so I would say that with what's now come out, the brand is now very damaged. ITV announced earlier (before the MOS headline broke) that it would be continuing on Monday, but I would say even Monday's show could now be doubtful.

A journalist on GB News seemed to be trying to suggest the MOS aren't revealing the full story, but this is all they can say at the moment for legal reasons. I think what can safely be said thought if PS career is pretty much in ruins and unlikely to recover.

lmimmfn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120648765#Comment_120648765

No, I understand, I'm not on PS's by any metric, just giving the basic law of consent in the UK.

L.Ball

*tumbleweeds*

JP Liz V1

Who will play the mental health card first, Phil, Holly, Matthew or others

y0ssar1an22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120648909#Comment_120648909

depression no doubt will be a card

cap.in.hand.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120648706#Comment_120648706

This young guy must also have been gay... Schofield has being accused of grooming him...if your gay ...your gay

glenfieldman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120648931#Comment_120648931

Grooming has not a thing to do with being gay

Its manipulating a younger or innocent person into doing something for personal gain

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120648931#Comment_120648931

Eh, you do know what grooming is, don’t you?

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120648843#Comment_120648843

”above board = not illegal” might be your definition of “above board” - it’s certainly not mine and it isn’t most people’s either.

Deeec

I suspect there is alot more to come out about PS. We haven't heard half of it yet. I knew there was no way he would resign over a little spat with Holly - in fact the opposite would have happened - he would have made her go. He knew something was going to come out and I don't think we've even heard it yet. I also feel his public announcement of being gay was prompted by something. I feel so sorry for his wife and daughters - he has treated them appallingly. His poor wife was made a fool of and no sympathy was directed towards her - all sympathy was for him which I found disgraceful. He lapped up the attention!

I have always disliked him - I thought he was very sneery towards guests. If this happened to another celebrity he would be condemning their behaviour on this morning. It now makes the show a total farce.

cap.in.hand.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120649073#Comment_120649073

So if this guy was not gay as well ...what personal gain would Schofield get...going by this guy's video clips with Schofield he seemed infatuated with him...no need to groom him...and in those video clips this guy did come across as a very good presenter/interviewer/ very natural while doing those this morning programme segments,looks to me he got excellent TV grooming moreso than the type of grooming suggested here.

CPTM

Has the young lad said anything about this? For me that's the deciding factor. He was an adult knowingly getting involved with an adult that had known since he was 15.

It'd be different if he has come out saying this is like a Weinstein type deal with Philip coercing him into a relationship. If he's not complaining I'm not seeing the issue myself.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120649123#Comment_120649123

Indeed- as much as I think Schofield is a repulsive human being, to accuse someone of “grooming” which is a crime, is a bit premature; the guy was young, yes, but of legal age - despicable behaviour, absolutely, but not illegal behaviour.

Really one would need a clear statement from this “young gentleman” indicating what happened and when before “grooming” could be considered.

If there was little contact between them before this gentleman became of legal age, and the contact was limited to a request for a start in show business, then actual grooming was unlikely- but starting a relationship with such a young gentleman soon after he became age of consent (and by soon I mean up to a few years given the age difference between them), is the sort of act of a despicable human being- what Phil did doesn’t have to be illegal to disgust most people.

prunudo

I don't know if it was grooming, anything I've seen so far suggests PS wasn't engaging the lad in anything but a professional basis. Obviously things turned personal at some stage and to what level we don't know but he was extremely foolish and naive to not see how the optics of being with a much younger man would pan out should it come out if it was all above board.

He has looked gaunt and stressed for a long time so I believe he has been living with the fear of the story coming out for a while now. Whether that was a fear of embarrassment or a fear of his true character coming out remains to be seen.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120649150#Comment_120649150

I think some posters are seeing the photos where Phil is pictured with the person in question as a young boy in a school setting (when Phil apparently visited) - and adding 2+2 to get 6- there is no suggestion that anything untoward happened between them at that time- however, even printing such pictures fuels the theme of illegality and of course clearly calls out in pictorial form, just how much the age difference “looks” like.

Just shows the power of the media and a printed photo to influence public opinion- if the rumour of super injunction is true (and I’m sceptical about that rumour at this stage)- the papers are certainly going to be on the war path - nothing like the revenge of a tabloid scorned.

StrawbsM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120649141#Comment_120649141

Why did Schofield spend tens of thousands on obtaining a super injunction only to publicly come out on live tv anyway and declare that he was gay?

Anyone else nearly puke when he “came out”? All the fakery from him and Holly and the “bravery”😂😂 when really his whole tv life was a piece of PR

kneemos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120649201#Comment_120649201

The super injunction,which he denies exists involves the affair with the young man.

The youn man in question was the cause of him coming out because he was going to sell the story to the papers.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120649206#Comment_120649206

Totally agree. There was no need whatsover for the public 'coming out' and the publicity he generated from it. It was cringe talking about how brave he was - nothing brave about him at all. Living a lie with his wife was despicable. The whole thing was so insulting to his wife and family.

All that needed to happen was say his marriage had broke up amicably - that would have been the brave and sensitive thing to do instead of him lapping up the sympathy.

CPTM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120649262#Comment_120649262

Agree with what you're saying in terms of announcing it and lapping up the attention. But didn't his wife know for a long time?

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120649303#Comment_120649303

She probably did know but having your marriage discussed so publicly must have been awful.

She wasted 30 years with this man. I'm sure she looks back and sees her marriage as somewhat fake. It must be a source of embarrassment. At least she got 2 daughters from the marriage.

The sympathy should have been directed towards her imo rather than him.

I think he also used his image of happily married family man to further his career.

Galwayguy35

ITV are talking about scrapping the show altogether now.

Holly seems to be trying to distance herself from the whole thing to save her own career.

cap.in.hand.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120649262#Comment_120649262

He was blackmailed by a newspaper to go public and the same newspaper had the exclusive Schofield interview in their tabloid the following morning.. wouldn't believe he was looking for sympathy from the public by coming out on TV.. I'm sure he was well prompted on what to say as he was like a rabbit caught in headlights with nowhere to turn.

Musicrules

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120649365#Comment_120649365

Holly did nothing wrong. She's distancing herself from the creep because she didn't know what happened. Her own career shouldn't be harmed because of the actions of a colleague.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120649380#Comment_120649380

They way he dealt with it though was wrong. He portrayed himself as carrying a huge burden and deserving of understanding and sympathy - he should have came out years ago. Very little mention was given to his wife and daughters who are the real ones deserving of sympathy. Having it publicly discussed that your husband and dad is gay - imagine that - horrible situation for the family. He should have said he didn't want to discuss it instead of lapping up all the attention.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120649303#Comment_120649303

Yeah, the lie was to his fans to keep the viewing and money rolling in

the reality being if he lived his real life , the money and viewers wouldn’t have changed and he wouldn’t be in this mess

also you don’t get away with being sanctimonious AND a liar

it’s sends out the outdated “wham” message that it’s perceived that being gay is bad business