‘He hasn’t committed a crime’: The celebs supporting Phillip Schofield and what they’ve said
Caroline Flack’s mum has asked Phillip to not do ‘anything silly’
In an explosive interview with the BBC last week, Phillip Schofield admitted to having had thoughts about dying following his affair scandal hitting headlines.
In the same interview he consistently argued he did not “groom” his younger lover on This Morning and nothing sexual happened between the pair before he was 20. Phillip Schofield also compared himself to Caroline Flack and claimed his two daughters have saved his life. Since then, several big names on ITV and other celebrities have come forward in favour of Phillip Schofield.
Alison Hammond fell apart whilst presenting This Morning
Ahead of Holly Willoughby’s return to telly, Alison Hammond was presenting the show alongside Dermot O’Leary. Last week the two watched a clip from Phillip’s interview where he admitted to contemplating his own life. Almost immediately Alison started tearing up. She said: “Obviously, I loved Phillip Schofield. And it’s weird because I still love Phillip Schofield. However, what he’s done is wrong. He’s admitted it. He’s said sorry. But as a family, we’re all really struggling to process everything. I never know what to say. But I remember what my mum said. My mum always said: ‘Use your Bible as your SatNav in life. And in the Bible, it says: ‘He without sin, cast the first stone.’ And I don’t want to say anything bad because obviously I’m in conflict. There’s so much a man can take, and I don’t want any death in this situation.”
Dermot O’Leary says Phillip is both a friend and a colleague
Dermot O’Leary previously declined to comment on Phillip’s scandal when approached by Sky News however he has since shared some thoughts on This Morning. He admitted: “This has been very difficult for us to cover this story as he’s a friend and a colleague. Also, as a society, quite rightly, we talk about mental health all the time. But that can’t be the preserve of people who are on the right side of history.”
Gyles Brandyth says it’s important to be kind
Gyles Brandyth is a regular on This Morning. He was present whilst Alison and Dermot spoke about the news of Phillip’s revelation about his life and future with the BBC. Live on air, Gyles said: “We are dealing with a human being that all of us have known and liked over many years. So it makes it difficult for us. I’m with you about he who is without sin, let him cast the first stone. I mean, there has been clearly an error of judgement at least here, which he admits to.”
Gyles later tweeted a cryptic message which fans assumed is about Phillip Schofield. It read: “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”
Piers Morgan argued Phillip hasn’t commit a crime
Piers Morgan called on the “relentless persecution” of Phillip Schofield to end. He said it looked as though Phillip was “on the edge” and “he doesn’t seem to have committed any crime, and he’s not a Govt minister.”
Dan Walker said he hopes the ‘relentless hounding’ stops
Former BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker said: “I also hope the relentless hounding from some elements of the media stops. People are clearly on the edge.”
Jeremy Clarkson said no crime has been committed
Jeremy Clarkson was a little more vocal compared to Dan Walker. He said: “I’ve never seen a witch-hunt like it, and what baffles me most of all is that, as things stand, no crime has been committed.”
Caroline Flack’s mum sent her regards to Phillip
Caroline Flack’s mum has also commented. She said: “Let’s hope for the best. I send my regard to Phillip and the young lad, and hope they get over this. Don’t do anything silly. You’ve got your daughters, you’ve got your friends.”
Related stories recommended by this writer:
• Holly Willoughby’s dramatic speech about Phillip Schofield on today’s This Morning in full
• Viewers can expect an ’emotional’ speech about Phillip from Holly as she returns to This Morning
• A timeline of how Phillip Schofield went from the king of daytime TV to a ‘national disgrace’