The younger colleague with whom Phillip Schofield admitted to having an affair was reportedly 15 years old when the pair first met.
Ex-This Morning star Schofield first met his future colleague while he was giving a chat at a theatre school, in response to a national newspaper.
The report comes after Schofield’s former co-host Holly Willoughby said he previously denied to her having a relationship with a younger ITV colleague – adding his admission now’s “very hurtful”.
“When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not,” she said.
“It’s been very hurtful to now discover that this was a lie.”
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The Mail on Sunday claims Schofield, 61, was forced to substantiate allegations of an affair were true in an announcement on Friday since the young man in query – who had also worked on This Morning – had told his lawyers about it.
Schofield had reportedly hired top law firm Mishcon de Reya to be the person’s legal representation.
The person, now in his mid-20s, reportedly told his lawyers concerning the relationship because he was uninterested in keeping it a secret.
It’s reported that Schofield first met the person at the college in North West England when he was in his late 40s.
In Friday’s statement, Schofield said: “I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning.
“Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the person when he was a youngster and was asked to assist him to get into television, it was only after he began to work on the show that it became greater than only a friendship.
“That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It’s now over.”
