Phillip Schofield began a media storm last week by making a TV comeback following his fall from grace, which saw him avoiding the public eye for more than a year.
However, despite some scathing remarks about his former broadcaster ITV and his former This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby, he has since been snapped enjoying a London night out with another former co-star.
Schofield, 62, has been snapped out and about with Gyles Brandreth, a regular on the ITV chatshow Schofield fronted from 2002 to 2023.
Former MP and broadcaster Brandreth, 76, has been pictured in photos obtained by The Sun enjoying a fancy dinner with his wife Michele Brown and his former co-star.
They were spotted at Charlie’s restaurant in Brown’s Hotel, Mayfair, according to the publication.
The group appeared in good spirits, with Schofield dressed in a black jumper, while Brandreth sported a white shirt and jacket.
They were reportedly dining for a few hours at the swanky restaurant. Later, Schofield was reportedly seen linking arms with another female friend as they made their way into a car to leave.
Former presenter Schofield hadn’t been seen on screens since May 2023, when he admitted to having had an affair with a younger colleague.
Calling the incident “unwise but not illegal,” it was then reported Schofield “stepped down” from his ITV role, however in a shocking claim, he stated during his Cast Away sting he’d been “axed,” sharing his belief that he was sacked due to his brother’s court case at the time.
In an unexpected announcement, Schofield shared at the end of last month he’d be back on TV in Channel 5 show Cast Away.
The programme saw him surviving alone on a desert island as he reflected on the controversy he was at the centre of.
He made several scathing claims, seemingly having a dig at Willoughby, 43, during the show.
It was later reported he’d sent Willoughby a brutal text during the fall-out of the scandal, where he allegedly penned: “You brought me down”.
The Mirror reports the daytime TV star blasted Willoughby via WhatsApp the day before the news of his This Morning departure was confirmed to the public.
A friend told the publication: “As well as saying she had brought him down, he said he couldn’t believe his TV sister would do this to him.”
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It’s been reported Schofield blamed Willoughby for not publicly defending him during reports of the suspected falling-out between the pair in the aftermath of his brother’s court case.
The publication claims Schofield asked his colleague for a supportive statement or a snap of them together but was ignored.
“He feels it was a simple gesture that might have saved his job and her refusal to do so effectively finished him off, believing in the TV chemistry was the bedrock of the This Morning format,” the source continued.
Willoughby reportedly told the disgraced presenter she didn’t want to “feed the narrative”.
