Former ITV presenter Phillip Schofield will make a return to TV on Cast Away
Phillip Schofield has announced he's making a TV comeback - for a new show on Channel 5. Entertainment Reporter Rishi Davda on what might viewers make of Schofield's comeback
Phillip Schofield will make a TV comeback on Monday, 16 months after leaving ITV.The 62-year-old is taking part in the three-part Channel 5 programme Cast Away which sees him stranded on an island for 10 days, filming himself as he battles for survival.
Posting on Instagram, Mr Schofield said: "Now you know how I spent my Summer! Alone for 10 days, no food, no water, no crew. My story of survival, both on a desert island and off it."
Mr Schofield said the show was "definitely a first" for him and the "only thing I felt compelled to do".
“I’ve recently had a lot of time to think about my life, what went right and what went wrong, but I’ve always had the safe arms of friends and family wrapped around me. This time it’s just me, no ‘phone, no comforts, no crew and only lip balm as a luxury," he told PA.
“I’m looking forward to exploring the island, trying to tie knots to secure my shelter and foraging and fending for myself in the wild … with no help. Maybe I’ll be Robinson Crusoe, or maybe I’ll just be Tom Hank’s Wilson and quietly drift off into the wild blue yonder.”
This makes Mr Schofield the third celebrity to take part in the solo island experiment following the likes of Ruby Wax and Joanna Lumley.
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The former This Morning presenter admitted to a relationship with a younger member of the team last year.
He stepped down from This Morning in May 2023, leaving with immediate effect after more than 20 years on the ITV programme.
The pair first met when Mr Schofield's colleague was a teenager but only had any "kind of sexual contact" was when the young man was 20.
Their relationship developed from a friendship to an affair after the young man joined the This Morning production team.
Mr Schofield paid his former colleague, who he had an affair with, a substantial amount of money to cover his therapy, plus for loss of job and home.
It also included a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) between the pair.
After the story came to light, Mr Schofield apologised for concealing the truth.
An external review was conducted by ITV into the handling of the affair - It found that ITV made "considerable efforts" to determine the truth about the relationship.
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