Phillip Schofield has appeared to put further strain on his relationship with his former co-presenter and best friend Holly Willoughby after ranting about ‘three sh**s of showbiz’ on his new desert island documentary.
The disgraced presenter makes his TV comeback tomorrow in Channel 5 survival show Cast Away, which sees him fend for himself for 10 days on a remote island paradise, located off the coast of Madagascar.
During the three-part programme, the 62-year-old takes aim at those ‘who betrayed him’ 16 months ago when he quit ITV’s This Morning after admitting to having lied about an ‘unwise, but not illegal’ affair with a much younger male colleague.
In the programme, which airs from Monday, Schofield appears to blame his dramatic fall from grace on a trio of his former ITV colleagues, saying: ‘I think there are only three s**ts [of showbiz].’
He pointed out that one was a ‘coward who never stepped up in Queuegate,’ while another ‘is a coward because they never stepped up when I was being battered’.
In a clip obtained by The Sun, Schofield claims the third ‘is just brand-orientated’, adding: ‘Not what you expect, not what you think you’re going to get.’
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Phillip Schofield returns to TV in Channel 5 show Cast Away (pictured) just 16 months after he left ITV and This Morning, which he hosted for 21 years
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Phillip Schofield is pictured on the This Morning sofa with his former best pal Holly Willoughby
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Schofield no longer follows This Morning editor Martin Frizell (pictured together) on social media
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ITV chief Dame Carolyn McCall was called to Parliament last June to face questions over safeguarding and complaint handling after Phillip Schofield’s exit from This Morning. She called his affair ‘deeply inappropriate’
While Schofield does not name any individuals, speculation has mounted that he could be taking aim at Willoughby, who he doesn’t mention at all throughout the series.
Another is thought to be This Morning editor Martin Frizell – who Schofield seemingly blames for letting him take the fall over ‘Queugate’, when he and Willoughby were accused of skipping the queue to see the Queen’s lying in state.
Schofield, whose career was left in tatters after he admitted to lying about his affair in May last year, no longer follows Frizell on social media.
Other targets could include ITV chief Dame Carolyn McCall, who labelled Schofield’s relationship with a younger staffer as ‘deeply inappropriate’.
Continuing to take aim at those who he believes wrong him, Schofield added of his formerly long-standing TV career: ‘They know how important that was to me.
‘They know when you throw someone under a bus, you’ve got to have a really bloody good reason to do it. Brand, ambition is not good enough’, reports The Sun.
He went on: ‘People can be fake. They can be so fake with you when it’s all going well, and suddenly utter, utter betrayal.
‘There are a lot of amazing people in morning television.’
Despite mentioning ITV Co-stars Ant, 48, and Dec, 49, as well as Joanna Lumley, 78, his former pal Willoughby isn’t mentioned at all throughout the episode.
During the three-part programme, he takes aim at those ‘who betrayed him’ when he quit ITV ‘s This Morning
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Various teaser clips have revealed some of the topics that Schofield will talk about ahead of his TV return
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The disgraced star will discuss his bitter parting of ways with the channel while fending for himself for 10 days on a remote island paradise, located off the coast of Madagascar
In one outburst which will leave viewers wondering whether it is aimed at her, Schofield says: ‘When you throw someone under a bus, you’ve got to have a really bloody good reason to do it.
‘I got into telly because I love the nuts and bolts of telly, I never wanted to be famous. I’m not fussed about that.
‘I miss parts of it. I miss most of it, I’m honest. But there are bits that I really, really, really don’t miss. You learn a lot about people. I don’t miss that.’
The disgraced presenter revealed this week he was taking part in his own survival show just 16 months on from leaving This Morning.
Schofield is said to have turned down a selection of big money TV offers before choosing to sign up for Cast Away – which he believes will allow him to share his story in an ‘unedited and honest’ way.
Willoughby left This Morning in October 23 after presenting the show alongside Schofield for 14 years.
Sources at the time said she quit because the show ‘wasn’t the same’ after her co-host left but was finally ‘tipped over the edge’ by an alleged ‘kidnap and murder plot’, insiders have claimed.
Meanwhile, during the episode Schofield referred to ITV duo Ant and Dec as his ‘best mates’.
In May it was suggested Declan Donnelly had reportedly been trying to convince the former presenter to make a TV comeback, after the pair had a four-hour dinner together.
Joanna Lumley also featured, sending him a ‘good luck’ message.
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Schofield called out ‘three s***s’ of showbiz during a rant on his new Cast Away series
It comes after insiders revealed how ITV bosses are said to be furious at Schofield for claiming he would have been treated differently if he had had an affair with a woman rather than a man.
The disgraced presenter said he would have got a ‘pat on the back’ it wasn’t a homosexual relationship.
However, ITV insiders say is ‘totally untrue’ to suggest he would have been treated differently because it was a gay romance.
During the show, Schofield refers to himself as the ‘shamed, disgraced Philip Schofield, who had an affair’.
The 62-year-old said: ‘Strangely, I think another TV presenter or two might have done exactly the same thing. Difference is heterosexual. It’s not an unusual thing in the gay world for there to be a difference in age groups.’
‘That’s not that unusual in the straight world, but if that had been the case with me and it had been a woman. Pat on the back. Well done, mate.’
Schofield said that he ‘has regrets’ and acknowledges he ‘got something wrong’ and ‘hurt the people’ around him.
‘I don’t know what price you’re supposed to pay and whether the price you’re paying is necessarily proportionate,’ he adds.
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Schofield enjoyed a night out with wife Stephanie Lowe and pals in West London on Saturday, as he was seen first time since the announcement of his controversial TV comeback
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The disgraced presenter even brought along his pet pooch, just 48 hours ahead of the new show’s first episode
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He wore a dark blazer of a pale pink shirt and teamed it with dark trousers for the outing where he posed for selfies with fans
Hitting back, a source at the channel said: ‘It’s a stupid thing for Phil to say, and it is just not true. Phil lied to his colleagues, his bosses and his friends about it, it wouldn’t have mattered if it was a woman or a man.’
They add that Schofield is unlikely to work with the channel again despite his hints that he had been approached to appear on their reality show, I’m A Celeb. One source said: ‘He lied to us, it would be really, really difficult.’
In the second episode of Cast Away, another clip shows Schofield declaring that he ‘doesn’t care anymore’.
Sitting around a campfire, he says: ‘I’ll be slammed for this, ‘Phillip Schofield mad rant [shakes his head]’. But the thing is, I don’t care anymore. I don’t care. This is me having my say as I bow out.’
He describes claims of toxicity on the ITV show as ‘utter b****cks’.
‘I found out after I left that there are a few people in there that might be a little bit toxic,’ he added.
‘I never saw it … when (you’re) on the telly, you don’t see stuff like that, you’re protected from it, people don’t tell you, so I had no clue.’
Schofield says the ‘toxicity tank is nearly empty’ after spending ‘so much self-analysis over the past few years. I’ve sort of analysed my head and myself and analysed everything’.
MailOnline has contacted Holly Willoughby for comment.
When Schofield left This Morning, she said: ‘It’s been over 13 great years presenting This Morning with Phil and I want to take this opportunity to thank him for all of his knowledge, his experience and his humour. The sofa won’t feel the same without him.’
