Eamonn Holmes claims Phillip Schofield ‘did a deal with the Sun newspaper’ when he came out as gay
Eamonn Holmes has claimed that his former This Morning co-star Phillip Schofield came out as gay as part of a “deal” to quash rumours about his love life.
The veteran presenter gave another interview to his current employer GB News on Tuesday night, after branding Schofield “toxic” and “delusional” on Monday.
Holmes was presenting This Morning alongside his wife Ruth Langsford in 2020 when Schofield made a rare appearance as a guest, revealing that he was gay for the first time.
Speaking about the moment, Holmes said: “Oh boy were we used. We went into the studio… and we were taken for fools.
“We notice the Sun newspaper’s here, the story was sold to the Sun newspaper. We began to feel this is not our show at all, it’s been planned for some time, and all is not what it seems.
“He had obviously done a deal to give a version of what the newspaper knew, and it was all a bit weird.”
He said that a number of senior ITV executives and Schofield’s agents were in the room for the interview, adding: “At that stage though I believed he was gay and that’s what was coming out and that was the information we were given. We were lied to.”
Holmes, who left ITV in 2021 to join right-wing news channel GB News, added: “Ruth and I to this day are embarrassed and ashamed when we see those pictures.
“When we see the toils that some people who are tortured by their sexuality have to go through, and this man was covering up for something else which does not reflect well on him.
“We feel angry, we feel angry about that, we feel used.”
Speculation continues about whether ITV executives will be forced to quit over the row that has engulfed This Morning.
The show’s former resident doctor, Dr Ranj Singh, has hit out at the daytime show’s “toxic” culture, saying he raised concerns about “bullying and discrimination” two years ago when he worked there and afterwards felt like he was “managed out” for whistleblowing.
On Saturday, ITV said it investigated the affair rumour in early 2020 but Schofield “categorically” denied it was true.
“Further to our statement last night, ITV can confirm that when rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate in early 2020 ITV investigated,” a spokesperson for the broadcaster said.
“Both parties were questioned and both categorically and repeatedly denied the rumours, as did Phillip’s then agency YMU.
“In addition, ITV spoke to a number of people who worked on This Morning and were not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour.
“Phillip’s statement yesterday reveals that he lied to people at ITV, from senior management to fellow presenters, to YMU, to the media and to others over this relationship.”
In an Instagram post earlier on Monday, Schofield hit back at his critics, saying there was “no toxicity” on This Morning.
He added: “I hope you have noticed that it’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice.”
