Phillip Schofield’s daughter Molly Schofield, 30, broke down in tears during the first episode of Cast Away and admitted that despite everything that had happened with her father, she was still “proud”.
Schofield stepped down from his presenting role on This Morning back in May 2023 after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague.
The 62-year-old has been away from TV screens since the scandal hit, and only recently returned to social media at the beginning of this year, sharing images of his pooch Alfie.
Now, the star has returned to screens as part of the Channel 5 series Cast Away, where he was stranded on an island for 10 days – opening up about the day he came out on national TV and the events which followed.
Despite the drama surrounding him, Schofield’s family have stuck by him, with his wife Stephanie Lowe still being close to the TV star and keeping a tight-knit family for their daughters – Molly and Ruby.
During the first episode, Molly opened up about the moment Schofield’s career and life came crashing down and became emotional when admitting that despite his wrongdoing, she was still “proud” of him.
Crying, she expressed: “We’ve seen him in his lowest times, but I’ve been so proud of him, so proud of him. And as a daughter, to see the love that people had for him.
“But when it’s taken away, it’s just heartbreaking. On a desert island, you can’t fake it, this is the real you so you can’t hide anything. And I really hope that people see him how we see him because he is just amazing.”
Later in the episode, Schofield opened up about the moment he came out, and whilst surrounded by nature and struggling to find food, he admitted: “Every day I just feel my toxicity tanks emptying out all the shit along the way.
“I have done it, I did it when I came out, all the wheels came off. I am very proud of what I did and I know coming out to so many people is liberating and is freedom on a plate, be yourself, and live your life to the full.
“But for me doing it later in life, at the moment it has just given me more anguish than joy. I am fully aware of the damage that it eaves, I still have the love of my family, never waivered.”
The scene cut to Schofield sitting with his family, where Lowe commented: “It’s going to be weird for us,” before a single shot of Molly was shown where she noted: “Having my dad come out was very hard for my family, especially for my mum but over time we have got over it.
“We are going to get out of it no matter what and I never thought it would have gone the way it has but to have my parents still as friends, I am so lucky.”
Cutting back to the former Dancing on Ice host on the island, he added: “This is such a chunk of my older life where I have just been sad, in personal lockdowns over and over again.
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“We are here for such a brief amount of time what is the time in wasting it and not being happy regardless.”
In episodes to come, his daughter adds: “Seeing him recover, we never thought that would happen. We never thought that would happen. So now he is where he is. It is the best thing ever, seeing how far he’s come.
“I am so incredibly proud to say he’s my dad, and I always will be, no matter what.”
