Phillip Schofield’s long-awaited TV comeback finally hit screens on Monday night, with the disgraced presenter promising to tell his side of the story in an “honest, unedited way”.
But just minutes into the first episode of his Channel 5 series Cast Away, viewers were quick to accuse the presenter of being “less remorseful than he claims” after he made an alleged pass at his former This Morning co-host , Holly Willoughby.
During the show, Phillip talks about his bitter split from ITV and This Morning, which he presented for 21 years, while managing on a remote island paradise, located off the coast of Madagascar.
Phillip, 62, was booted from This Morning in May last year after admitting lying about his relationship with a much younger colleague.
Holly distanced herself from her former best friend and during a “highly strategic” return to the This Morning sofa in June 2023, told viewers she had been left “shocked, disappointed and worried”.
Phillip Schofield’s long-awaited TV comeback finally hit screens on Monday night, with the disgraced presenter promising to tell his side of the story in an “honest, unedited way”.
When he came back, he started by saying, ‘Hello, first, are you okay? I hope so. It feels very strange sitting here without Phil.
Appearing to reference the now famous Cast Away speech, Phillip is seen having a barbecue with his family before heading to the island.
He feeds his wife Stephanie and daughters Molly, 31, and Ruby, 28, and laughs: “If you’re okay, then we’re okay, and I’m okay… are you okay?” .
There’s no mention of Holly in the clip, but fans were quick to see the tease, with one branding Phillip’s series an “ego trip”, before claiming he’s clearly “not as sorry as he says he is.”
Posts on X included: ‘Ooooh, was that a cheeky comment towards Holly Willoughby, Phillip? Are you OK; Are you okay… THAT HOLLY DIG!’
“Schofe is about to draw a smiley face on a volleyball and name it ‘Willoughby.’
Holly said in the original statement that: “It feels very strange to be here without Phil and I imagine you must have felt a lot like me.”
“Shaken, worried, disappointed, worried about the well-being of people on all sides of what has been happening and full of questions.”
But viewers were quick to accuse the presenter of being “less remorseful than he claims” after he made an alleged criticism of his former This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby.
Appearing to reference the now famous Cast Away speech, Phillip is seen having a barbecue with his family before heading to the island.
He feeds his wife Stephanie and daughters Molly, 31, and Ruby, 28, and laughs: “If you’re okay, then we’re okay, and I’m okay… are you okay?” .
There’s no mention of Holly in the clip, but fans were quick to notice the jibe, with one calling Phillip’s series an “ego trip.”
‘All of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt they had to quit ITV and abandon a career they loved. “There’s a lot to process.”
‘It’s equally difficult to see the toll this has taken on his own mental health. I think what unites us all now is the desire to heal for the health and well-being of all.’
She added: “I hope that as we begin this new chapter and return to the place of warmth and magic that the show has for all of us, we can find strength in each other.”
‘And from the bottom of my heart, can I just say thank you for all your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning? “Myself, Josie, Dermot, Alison, Craig and every person who works on this show will continue to work hard every day.”
Phillip shocked the nation when he revealed he would be returning to TV in Channel 5 series Cast Away, which sees him fend for himself for 10 days on a remote island paradise.
In the first episode, Phillip said he was “everything ready” to attempt suicide, but decided against it when his eldest daughter Molly convinced him not to, following his departure from This Morning.
He said: ‘In the last eighteen months, it’s gotten as dark as it gets.
‘A year ago I was so, so close. I had everything in place, everything was set up and ready and it was Molly who was looking after me.’
He explained: “Molly and Ruby looked after me at the time, and Molly said, ‘Can you imagine what this would do to us if you actually managed to pull it off? Can you imagine what would happen and what it would do to me if you did this under my supervision?’
The first episode of Phillip’s Cast Away series saw him taken to a remote island, beginning his 10-day quest for survival, as he spoke about the impact his departure from ITV had on him.
‘That was enough, enough to take a step back from the edge. They could have hospitalized me, I just ran to the family home, locked the doors and I was there.’
He later paid tribute to his wife Stephanie Lowe, Molly, 31, and youngest daughter Ruby, 28, saying: “Without them I wouldn’t be here.”
Schofield’s return to TV comes 16 months after he was forced to apologize to the Mail for lying about his affair with his former This Morning colleague.
He also lied to ITV and his former co-presenter Holly Willoughby about the affair and has not worked since.
But during the show, she addressed the relationship, saying, “It’s like the biggest grenade of your life went off.” You know you let people down, you know you let yourself down.
“It was reckless and unprofessional. I will regret it forever. I ruined it. I made a mistake and hurt the people around me.’
Schofield’s admission that he had enjoyed the romance came three years after he came out as gay live on This Morning, with Ms Willoughby by his side.
It was a secret that he had hidden from his entire family and colleagues, but he says he is proud to reveal the truth about his sexuality: “I am very proud of what I did and I know that coming out to so many people is liberating. And It’s freedom on a plate.
‘Absolutely. Be yourself. Live your life to the fullest. That’s the saying: just live your best life. But for me, doing it later in life, at this point it has given me more, um, anguish than joy, because I’m fully aware of the damage it leaves.’
In fact, it was extremely difficult for his family. “When my dad came out, it was very difficult for me,” Molly revealed. ‘It was very hard for the whole family. Especially my mother, of course, everything was upside down. But we talked about it and over time it became easier.”
Despite the affair and coming out as gay, Schofield wears his wedding ring throughout the show, proving that he is still married to Stephanie.
During the show he broke his silence about the scandal, hinting at his own experience when he says: “What people don’t realize is that you get hit, but then there are other people affected.”
Molly, who works as her father’s publicist, adds: “We have seen him at his lowest moments, but I have been very proud of him and, as a daughter, to see the love that people had for him, when it is taken away from him.” . It’s just heartbreaking.’
He added: “Strangely, everything that has happened recently has brought us closer together.”
His daughter said: “We’ve seen him at his lowest moments but I’ve been so proud of him and as a daughter to see the love people had for him, when it’s taken away from him is just heartbreaking.”
Notably, Schofield does not mention Holly or his former lover, with whom he signed a mutual confidentiality agreement earlier this year in exchange for a six-figure payment.
It will leave viewers wondering if he’s referring to Holly when he said: “When you throw someone under a bus, you have to have a very good reason for doing it.”
In another outburst, Schofield said: ‘I miss most of it. But there are parts that I really, really, really don’t miss. You learn a lot about people. I don’t miss it.’
Since leaving television, Schofield says he “spent days in bed” where he watched the news “in a daze.”
As for what he thinks of his return to the spotlight, Schofield admits he expects little sympathy. “I don’t do it because I’m poor,” he says. ‘I don’t think I have any rights. I have no right to be poor.
