Phillip Schofield's choreographed comeback - family photos, showbiz events and brutal reality show

Phillip Schofield feared he would never work in TV again following his affair scandal - but fast forward 16 months, he is about to star in a reality show that could relaunch his career

Phillip Schofield is set to make a comeback 16 months after he dramatically quit TV.

The 62-year-old presenter was a household name, having started off in kids telly before going on to front huge shows like Dancing on Ice and This Morning alongside Holly Willoughby.

But his career came crashing down in May 2023 when he admitted having an ‘unwise, but not illegal’ affair with a younger male colleague on the ITV breakfast show. Months before that rumours were circulating there was a ‘feud’ with former best pal Holly.

And it seems things all came to a head when Phil announced he was quitting This Morning. He was then sacked as host of the British Soap Awards, cut all ties with ITV and dropped by his management team in the wake of the affair revelations, which he revealed more about in a damning BBC documentary.

For a while it seemed like his 35-year career was over and Phil fled to Cornwall, where his parents live. However, over the past few months he has slowly made a return to public life. So is it all part of a clever plan by his publicist daughter Molly to relaunch his career? Here’s what we know....

Support from famous pals

In the weeks after Phil’s affair scandal, he was seen on a night out in London with old TV pal Vanessa Feltz. The 62-year-old has stood by Phil and publicly said she was ‘absolutely devastated’ by what had happened to him.

Former This Morning host Richard Madeley, who now regularly appears on Good Morning Britain, also spoke out on behalf of his long-time friend and is said to have checked in with his regularly following his very public fall from grace.

In October 2023, Richard said he felt ‘very sorry’ for Phil and added: “It seemed a pretty savage outcome after 21 years [on This Morning]. It seemed quite brutal to be honest. I took a paternal interest in it - I kept in touch, told him to take it easy and that it’ll be all right. He agreed. All things pass in the end."

In February 2024, Lorraine Kelly told the Sunday Times magazine that Phil was ‘doing all right’ and said she thought ‘everybody lost their minds a wee bit’ in a reference to media coverage of the fall out.

More recently Phil was pictured on a night out with Declan Donnelly and there are rumours he could be snapped up to star in the next series of I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here series, which usually airs in November.

Social media return

Phil returned to social media in June 2024 – and still boasts an impressive 3 million followers on Instagram.

Though he hasn’t posted much so far, he regularly shares snaps and videos of his beloved dog Alfie. He also posted a pic of his face painted as the England flag during this summer’s World Cup.

A snap in August showed him in a field of sunflowers. He wrote in the caption: "What a find! New happy place." And in his most recent grid post, Phil posted a smiling snap of himself playing tennis with a hoodie on that said the word ‘tea?’ In a reference to one of the comedian’s most famous catchphrases, he joked: “If Eric Morecambe played tennis.”

Then yesterday, Phil teased something big was coming as he posted in his Instagram stories the words: “Watch this space... 9am.”

Family snaps with wife who has stood by him

Though Phil, who came out as gay in 2020, is said to be separated from wife Steph in a romantic sense, they are still married and very much a family, sharing two daughters Molly, 31, and 28-year-old Ruby.

In July 2024, they were spotted out as a family again for the first time since he quit TV when they attended the Grand Prix, making a stylish entrance at the Silverstone track in a helicopter.

It marked the first proper public appearance Phil had made in a year. Phil has also been spotted with wife Steph and their dogs in recent weeks, suggesting they are on good terms and have patched things up.

New reality show and TV comeback

This morning it was announced that Phil will return to TV for Channel 5 reality show Cast Away, which will see him marooned on a tropical island for 10 days. During the show – much of which Phil has filmed himself - he is set to discuss the past two years in detail.

In the trailer, Phillip is seen wandering across a deserted beach. Captions along the video read: "One celebrity. On a desert island. Totally alone. With one chance to finally tell his story."

Speaking about his new role, a source told The Sun: "Over the past few months Phil has had quite a few offers for various things - but has steadfastly turned them all down. This sort of challenge has always appealed to him though, and after consulting with friends and family, he decided to go for it. It's all been top secret, and has been an incredibly quick turnaround in order to keep the news quiet."

"With 10 days to himself, no camera crews or production around, he shot some unbelievably raw footage - some of it makes for tough, emotional viewing. But he wanted a chance to share his story, unedited and honest, and let viewers see another side to him," they added.

There are also talks Phil could publish another book on the ITV scandal, following on from his 2020 memoir, Life’s What You Make It. A source told the Mirror in August: "Phil has had several approaches by book publishers - including Hodder & Stoughton - about a new memoir, in which he talks more fully about This Morning, Holly, and how his career at ITV imploded. His account of this would be incredibly compelling, and no doubt lucrative, though at this stage money has not yet been discussed."

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