Philip Schofield comes out as gay

[Sarah]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-51414010

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

TV presenter Phillip Schofield has revealed he is gay, after 27 years of marriage to his wife Stephanie Lowe.

The 57-year-old made the announcement via a statement posted on his Instagram story.

"Today, quite rightly, being gay is a reason to celebrate and be proud," he wrote.

"Yes, I am feeling pain and confusion, but that comes only from the hurt that I am causing to my family."

Schofield presents ITV programmes including Dancing On Ice and This Morning, which won a National Television Award last week.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionHolly Willoughby co-presents This Morning and Dancing on Ice with Schofield
The presenter was interviewed by his co-host Holly Willoughby on Friday's edition of This Morning.

"You know this has been bothering me for a very long time" he said. "Everybody does this at their own speed when the time is right."

The presenter added in recent times his sexuality has "become an issue in my head".

"All you can be in your life is honest with yourself and I was getting to the point where I wasn't being honest with myself and I didn't like myself because I wasn't being honest," he said.

Philip Schofield's statement in full:
"You never know what's going on in someone's seemingly perfect life, what issues they are struggling with, or the state of their wellbeing - and so you won't know what has been consuming me for the last few years. With the strength and support of my wife and my daughters, I have been coming to terms with the fact that I am gay.

"This is something that has caused many heart-breaking conversations at home. I have been married to Steph for nearly 27 years, and we have two beautiful grown-up daughters, Molly and Ruby. My family have held me so close - they have tried to cheer me up, to smother me with kindness and love, despite their own confusion. Yet still I can't sleep and there have been some very dark moments.

"My inner conflict contrasts with an outside world that has changed so very much for the better. Today, quite rightly, being gay is a reason to celebrate and be proud. Yes, I am feeling pain and confusion, but that comes only from the hurt that I am causing to my family.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionPhillip Schofield and wife Stephanie Lowe, pictured in November
"Steph has been incredible - I love her so very much. She is the kindest soul I have ever met. My girls have been astonishing in their love, hugs and encouraging words of comfort. Both mine and Steph's entire families have stunned me with their love, instant acceptance and support.

"Of course they are worried about Steph, but I know they will scoop us both up. My friends are the best, especially Holly, who has been so kind and wise - and who has hugged me as I sobbed on her shoulder. At ITV, I couldn't hope to work with more wonderful, supportive teams.

"Every day on This Morning, I sit in awe of those we meet who have been brave and open in confronting their truth - so now it's my turn to share mine. This will probably all come as something of a surprise and I understand, but only by facing this, by being honest, can I hope to find peace in my mind and a way forward.

"Please be kind, especially to my family."

 

[James from London]

I remember years ago when he got married, Bob Downe did a joke at the Edinburgh Festival about the number of pages Hello or OK devoted to pictures of the wedding -- as if they couldn't quite get over the shock. (You probably had to be there.)

 

[Sarah]

My gaydar is awful. I genuinely had no idea. I met him at a Radio One Big weekend when I was a teenager and I kissed him on the cheek.

I could never quite get over how he never knew that Kristin (Shepard) was called Kristin, and not Kerstin. Time and time again he got it wrong.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

My gaydar is awful. I genuinely had no idea.

Same here. I was quite surprised to read about it. I suppose I just take things on face value.

I had a bit of a crush on him back in his broom cupboard days*, and (at risk of sounding incredibly shallow) he's aged very well.

It's pleasing that the tone of his coming out is about his relationship with himself and he hasn't (publicly) associated being gay with being in a relationship with someone as a lot of these social media comings out seem to do. Nice, too, that he seems to be thinking of his family's best interest.


* How ironic that he spent all those years broadcasting from inside a literal closet:

 

[Angela Channing]

I do wonder whether he came out because a Sunday newspaper was about to reveal it. When the Sunday papers have a story like this they often gather the evidence and then present it to the celebrity a few days before publication to ask for a comment. The fact that he came out on a Friday arouses my suspicions.

What the papers often do is to tell the celebrity they will print the story unless he or she gives them an interview to discuss the details. The paper will present it to them as a chance to tell the story from their own point of view. However, Mr Schofield has his own show he was able to do that without the need for giving into any media blackmail.

If he had more time, he could have sold the story to a newspaper or magazines for a minimum of £20,000 (I think someone of his profile could probably charge £50,000 for exclusive rights to the story) and because he didn't do this also makes me wonder whether his revelation today was to kill off a newspaper exposé. He could have donated the money to a LGBT+ charity for example, but with only a few days to publication there wouldn't have been time to negotiate this.

However, by making the announcement on This Morning, he was able to present the news in a positive way without giving in to the media who would have told the story as TV Phil Lied to Wife About Gay Secret For 27 Years or Schofield Cheats on Wife With Gay Lover.

Anyway, good luck to him and it's pleasing that the reaction has been mostly positive.

 

[Toni]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-51414010

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

TV presenter Phillip Schofield has revealed he is gay, after 27 years of marriage to his wife Stephanie Lowe.

The 57-year-old made the announcement via a statement posted on his Instagram story.

"Today, quite rightly, being gay is a reason to celebrate and be proud," he wrote.

"Yes, I am feeling pain and confusion, but that comes only from the hurt that I am causing to my family."

Schofield presents ITV programmes including Dancing On Ice and This Morning, which won a National Television Award last week.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionHolly Willoughby co-presents This Morning and Dancing on Ice with Schofield
The presenter was interviewed by his co-host Holly Willoughby on Friday's edition of This Morning.

"You know this has been bothering me for a very long time" he said. "Everybody does this at their own speed when the time is right."

The presenter added in recent times his sexuality has "become an issue in my head".

"All you can be in your life is honest with yourself and I was getting to the point where I wasn't being honest with myself and I didn't like myself because I wasn't being honest," he said.

Philip Schofield's statement in full:
"You never know what's going on in someone's seemingly perfect life, what issues they are struggling with, or the state of their wellbeing - and so you won't know what has been consuming me for the last few years. With the strength and support of my wife and my daughters, I have been coming to terms with the fact that I am gay.

"This is something that has caused many heart-breaking conversations at home. I have been married to Steph for nearly 27 years, and we have two beautiful grown-up daughters, Molly and Ruby. My family have held me so close - they have tried to cheer me up, to smother me with kindness and love, despite their own confusion. Yet still I can't sleep and there have been some very dark moments.

"My inner conflict contrasts with an outside world that has changed so very much for the better. Today, quite rightly, being gay is a reason to celebrate and be proud. Yes, I am feeling pain and confusion, but that comes only from the hurt that I am causing to my family.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionPhillip Schofield and wife Stephanie Lowe, pictured in November
"Steph has been incredible - I love her so very much. She is the kindest soul I have ever met. My girls have been astonishing in their love, hugs and encouraging words of comfort. Both mine and Steph's entire families have stunned me with their love, instant acceptance and support.

"Of course they are worried about Steph, but I know they will scoop us both up. My friends are the best, especially Holly, who has been so kind and wise - and who has hugged me as I sobbed on her shoulder. At ITV, I couldn't hope to work with more wonderful, supportive teams.

"Every day on This Morning, I sit in awe of those we meet who have been brave and open in confronting their truth - so now it's my turn to share mine. This will probably all come as something of a surprise and I understand, but only by facing this, by being honest, can I hope to find peace in my mind and a way forward.

"Please be kind, especially to my family."

 

[tommie]

Ummm... yeah, good for him I guess? I mean, this reminds me of when Swedish star Peter Jöback came out and it was just like yeah, we noticed thanks...

 

[Alexis]

Ummm... yeah, good for him I guess? I mean, this reminds me of when Swedish star Peter Jöback came out and it was just like yeah, we noticed thanks...

Well it's not really the same. I don't think a lot of people actually suspected that Philip was gay. He's been a big part of TV in the UK and I don't think he was thought of like that. I think he was pretty well liked and nobody that I recall ever passed comment on his sexuality. I have always liked him. He was probably the first man I can remember having a crush on. He was so good looking in the late '80s when I was a kid. In his BBC broom closet days.

 

[James from London]

I think it's easy to be blase and superior and roll one's eyes and be all 'What took you so long?', and I think I was a bit guilty of that when I posted that 27-year-old joke above, but it can still be hard to come out these days when you're 17, let alone 57. He was born a long time ago when things were very different, and we don't all move with the times in unison. And it's not as if people aren't still being shamed into killing themselves because they're gay. So on reflection, I think my initial post was a bit ungenerous, and, you know, good luck to him and ting.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Is he related to Dallas star Annabel Schofield?

 

[Willie Oleson]

Curiously, I just watched an ATV Thriller episode starring Katherine Schofield.

 

[James from London]

The main man in Bouquet of Barbed Wire was Paul Schofield - King of the Schofields.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Was it not Frank Finlay?

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Is he related to Dallas star Annabel Schofield?

Curiously, I just watched an ATV Thriller episode starring Katherine Schofield.

It's not an uncommon surname in the UK.

Incidentally, I think "Dallas star" is a very generous term. I just had to use a search engine to find out who she was.

 

[James from London]

Was it not Frank Finlay?

D’oh!

 

[Willie Oleson]

It's not an uncommon surname in the UK.

Probably not, but it rarely happens that I notice 3 (almost 4!) TV Schofields in one day.

Incidentally, I think "Dallas star" is a very generous term

I don't recall any of her scenes, but the reason I'll never forget that name is because of a super-glamorous promotional pic in the TV guide, describing Annabel as "english beauty joins the cast of DALLAS".
Something like this, but with her and two other actresses.

She was wearing a black, Dynasty-esque gown.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Probably not, but it rarely happens that I notice 3 (almost 4!) TV Schofields in one day.

Ha ha. Good point.

I don't recall any of her scenes, but the reason I'll never forget that name is because of a super-glamorous promotional pic in the TV guide, describing Annabel as "english beauty joins the cast of DALLAS".
Something like this, but with her and two other actresses.

Oh, that rings a bell. With Cally and April, perhaps?


On a kind of related note, I always confuse Annabels Schofield and Croft, who both have that long-haired English rose thing going on:

 

[Willie Oleson]

Oh, that rings a bell. With Cally and April, perhaps?

I think so, yes. Maybe @Barbara Fan could dig it up for me?

 

[Toni]

Out of curiosity I just googled on Bonsai Girl Annabel Schofield and found this little interview with her. She talks a little bit about "Dallas" and, in part 2, she says she keeps good memories of Howard Keel:

https://mirror80.com/2012/11/the-80s-connection-annabel-schofield/

Oh and please don´t thank me! I just knew you were dying to know what became of Laurel Ellis!!

 

[Angela Channing]

I think it's easy to be blase and superior and roll one's eyes and be all 'What took you so long?', and I think I was a bit guilty of that when I posted that 27-year-old joke above, but it can still be hard to come out these days when you're 17, let alone 57. He was born a long time ago when things were very different, and we don't all move with the times in unison. And it's not as if people aren't still being shamed into killing themselves because they're gay. So on reflection, I think my initial post was a bit ungenerous, and, you know, good luck to him and ting.

I agree with this. 27 years ago Britain was still a very homophobic place and being outed or coming out could damage someone's career if they were in the public eye. I imagine that once you start hiding your true sexuality, it becomes harder to come out because you also have to deal with how people will react to you misleading them for many years. So Mr Schofield hiding being gay for all this time will inevitably leave a lot of people feeling they were lied to, not least his wife and children. Coming out must have been doubly difficult for him so I wish him well.

I might sound uncharitable but I'll be looking at the headlines of the Sunday tabloids tomorrow to see which paper was going to out him which forced him to come out now. I still don't believe he came out now just because he was dealing with an inner turmoil but because someone had gone to the Press with a story that would have outed him. The more I think about it the more I conclude the timing is odd. Tomorrow he has to present Dancing On Ice and next week he is scheduled to present This Morning. Had he chosen the time voluntarily, surely it would have been better to wait for a time when he wasn't due to be on TV so often. That would have allowed interest in the story to die down a bit and not be a distraction from his work while also enabling him to gauge how the public have reacted to the news.