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Phillip Schofield has hit back at reports he quit his role on This Morning following his widely reported affair scandal.

The former presenter, 62, will address the controversy in a three-part Channel 5 series, titled Cast Away, which sees him spend 10 days trying to survive on an island in the Indian Ocean.

It will mark the presenter’s first return to TV since he admitted to having an affair with a younger male colleague he worked with on ITV’s This Morning, which led to his departure from the daily chat show.

In the first Cast Away episode, seen by The Independent, a series producer asks Schofield how he’d feel if he couldn’t cope with island life, to which he replies: “Oh it is inconceivable that I would quit.”

He then seemingly references his This Morning departure, adding: “I’m fired but I never quit.”

Elsewhere in the programme, Schofield discusses the difficulties of filming the Cast Away series without the public finding out.

This August, it was rumoured Schofield would enter the I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here jungle for the forthcoming series, which will be hosted once again by double act Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly.

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“I’m apparently four to one [odds] to do the other jungle programme,” Schofield says from his home in London before heading to the Cast Away island. “Now, although my best mates host it, there are some channels you just won’t work for,” he adds of his relationship with ITV.

“There are just some people you won’t work for.”

He adds: “I’ve just got to get out of the country now without anyone thinking, ‘Where the hell is he going?’ Not flying out of Heathrow or Gatwick cause that would be too obvious. So, I’m on my way to get the Eurostar.”

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Schofield left ITV last May after he admitted he had lied about having a “consensual on-off relationship” with a younger man, which took place while Schofield was still married to his wife Stephanie Lowe.

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The presenter said he arranged for the teenager to get work experience with ITV when he was around 19. He denied having any form of sexual contact with him until he was around 20 years old, after the man had been working on the show for a few months, and insisted the relationship was “consensual and fully legal”. After the scandal emerged, Schofield apologised for lying to the media, his friends and his colleagues about the affair and immediately left ITV.

Viewers have been left incensed at the news of the former presenter’s TV comeback and have called the move a “disgrace”.

One person said the presenter was “desperate for attention” while dozens joked about the concept of the show which sees Schofield stranded alone as they commented, “absolutely nobody wants to work with him so he’s doing a show that has no cast or crew”.

Another added: “Phillip Schofield on a desert island for 10 days in his TV comeback? The only way I’ll be watching that is if the island is heavily populated with lions, tigers, snakes and crocodiles.”

Schofield addresses the hostility towards him during the first Cast Away episode, saying: “I think there’d be an awful lot of people [who] hope that I never come back. Goodbye. Thank you. ‘What happened? He got washed out to sea. Well, there we go.’”

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In the same episode, the former presenter reveals he was on the brink of suicide after his career fell apart. “I had everything in place,” he says. “Everything was set up.”

Schofield admits during the programme that the only reason he’s still alive is because his daughter Molly, 31, talked him down from “the edge”.

He explains his daughter had asked him: “‘Can you imagine what it would do to me if you did this on my watch?’”

“That was just enough to take a step back from the edge,” he explains.

“And I could have been hospitalised… But then I thought, ‘That is going to get out.’ So, I just raced to the family home and shut the gates.”

Cast Away airs over three nights beginning Monday 30 September.

My Mum Your Dad viewers are convinced one couple is already heading for a split after the finale of the dating show.

Fans of the ITV1 series tuned in to see whether the kids would give their parents their blessings on Friday night, but they were left shaking their heads at the telly.

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Despite her concerns, Vicky’s daughter Angharad, 28, gave her approval for her mum to pursue a relationship with David.

David’s daughter Tiana, 21, also gave the nod for their partnership.

But although the couple still appeared to be giving it a go two months after they left the retreat, fans do not believe they will last the distance.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one fan said: “In the words my old man used to say ‘I’ll give them a week’ regarding Vicky and David.”

Another added: “David making it up as he goes along, like being in an interview you try to wing.”

A third remarked: “I’m just not feeling the love from David.. lovely man but a tad emotionally stunted.. sorry guys!”

And someone else chimed in: “I don’t think David is ready for a relationship. He seems emotionally contained, he’s not relaxed, easygoing.”

My Mum Your Dad returned for a second series earlier this month.

The ITV show, fronted by Davina McCall, sees middle-aged, single parents attempt to find love as their grown-up kids watch on.

On Friday night, the series reached a climax with three remaining couples being whisked on final dates outside of the retreat.

They also included Jenny and Danny, and Steph and Paul.

Vicky, 50, and David, 53, were treated to a romantic hot air balloon ride, while Jenny and Danny watched a movie about themselves in a vintage cinema.

Steph and Paul, meanwhile, were served a slap up lunch in the countryside.

During their meal, Steph and Paul decided they were better off as friends and bowed out of the experiment.

My Mum, Your Dad series two cast

Christian: “I think the biggest thing they’ll learn is that I put on a shield of jovial and lightheartedness but underneath I’m sensitive. I don’t let people see that usually.”

David: “I’m looking for a strong, independent woman. I need somebody whereby we feed off of each other, who matches the qualities that I’ve got!”  

Maria: “There’s no time pressure now and you get to that age where you think why would I want to put up with somebody that gets on my nerves? I don’t have to!”

Andy: “Ideally, I’m looking for someone who will engage with me mentally, appeals to me physically and is there for me emotionally!” 

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Clare: “My love language is physical touch so someone that’s cuddly and tactile that makes me laugh and who’s a warm and kind person.” 

Vicky: “I’ve been having no luck in trying to find someone myself. If there’s a room of people, I always tend to go for the one person I shouldn’t!”

Jenny: “I have exhausted everything, if I couldn’t have got onto My Mum, Your Dad, there was literally nothing left.”

Danny: “I’m hoping to meet someone that likes me. I don’t have to tick boxes. I’m just looking for someone who likes me back.”  

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Vicky and David, and Jenny and Danny continued through until the end of the show, where they received the nod of approval from their kids.

Despite being unhappy about several rocky moments, Vicky’s daughter Angharad decided to approve her mum’s new man.

And two months on, they were filmed together with David and Tiana in Vicky and Angharad’s native Wales – proving they were making a go of things.

Once the series finale had aired, host Davina took to X and posted a video of herself looking tearful.

She then encouraged fans to tag someone they think “deserves a place in the retreat”, in the hope a third series is commissioned.

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Phillip Schofield has said he put arrangements in place to die by suicide following his affair scandal.

The former presenter, 62, is set to open up about the emotional impact of the controversy in a three-part Channel 5 series, titled Cast Away, which sees him trying to survive on an island in the Indian Ocean for 10 days.

Schofield admits during the programme that the only reason he’s still alive is because his daughter Molly, 31, talked him down from “the edge”.

He explains his daughter, who was caring for him at the time, had asked him: “‘Can you imagine what it would do to me if you did this on my watch?’

“That was just enough to take a step back from the edge,” he explains. “And I could have been hospitalised… But then I thought, ‘That is going to get out.’ So I just raced to the family home and shut the gates.”

Retelling the story during the first Cast Away episode, the disgraced This Morning star breaks down in tears. “I never in a million years thought I’d do this,” he says of being exiled to an island for 10 days for television.

He adds: “It’s nice to discover new things about yourself… for you personally, when you don’t look online and people tell you what they think you’re like.”

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Of his decision to return to public life to film the programme, the presenter explains: “I locked myself away from the outside world. But now I want to see if the ultimate isolation can finally set me free.”

Schofield left ITV last May after he admitted he had lied about having a “consensual on-off relationship” with a younger man, which took place while Schofield was still married to his wife Stephanie Lowe.

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The presenter said he arranged for the teenager to get work experience with ITV when he was around 19. He denied having any form of sexual contact with him until he was around 20 years old, after the man had been working on the show for a few months, and insisted the relationship was “consensual and fully legal”.

After the scandal emerged, Schofield apologised for lying to the media, his friends and his colleagues about the affair and immediately left ITV.

open image in gallery

Viewers have been left incensed at the news of the former presenter’s TV comeback and have called the move a “disgrace”.

One person said the presenter was “desperate for attention” while dozens joked about the concept of the show, which sees Schofield stranded alone, as one commented” “Absolutely nobody wants to work with him so he’s doing a show that has no cast or crew.”

Schofield addresses the hostility towards him during the first Cast Away episode, saying: “I think there’d be an awful lot of people [who] hope that I never come back. Goodbye. Thank you. ‘What happened? He got washed out to sea. Well, there we go.’”

Cast Away airs over three nights beginning 30 September.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.