Phillip Schofield breaks year-long social media silence following This Morning exit

Former ITV host had not posted on social media since May 2023

Phillip Schofield has returned to social media after taking more than a year away from his platforms.

The former This Morning host has maintained a low public profile since last summer, when he left the ITV programme unexpectedly in May 2023 after lying about an affair with an employee.

Schofield, 62, also parted ways with his management company in the wake of the scandal, as well as terminating his contract with ITV after 20 years.

On Wednesday (15 May), the presenter shared a new photo on Instagram of his dog, Alfie, sitting on a bed while watching car racing on the TV.

“Thankfully, Alfie is a big @f1 fan,” Schofield captioned the post, adding three smiling emojis surrounded by red hearts.

Prior to this, Schofield’s last post was uploaded on 7 May 2023. It was a short video of the presenter standing outside the Fondation Louis Vuitton art museum in Paris.

Schofield has currently disabled comments on his Instagram.

Last month, the former Dancing on Ice host was photographed carrying Alfie, a black cockapoo, alongside his wife Stephanie Lowe, who held a matching dog, on a walk together to celebrate Schofield’s 62nd birthday.

The pair have been married since 1993 and separated in February 2020 when Schofield came out as gay. They share two daughters and remain close friends.

Phillip Schofield (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Schofield previously had a professional partnership with Holly Willoughby, with the duo co-hosting both This Morning and Dancing on Ice.

Last June, Schofield noted in an interview with The Sun that their communication had ceased.

Willoughby left This Morning after 14 years in October 2023, explaining her decision as one made “for me and my family”.

In January, Willoughby returned to screens to present Dancing on Ice alongside her new co-host Stephen Mulhern.

This Morning is now helmed by Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley.

When Schofield left the show, he admitted to having an affair with a younger colleague with a statement made to the Daily Mail.

He wrote: “I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning.

“In an effort to protect my ex-colleague I haven’t been truthful about the relationship.

“I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.”

Since then, Schofield’s public appearances have been limited. He was most recently seen on screen during a Paul O’Grady tribute at the National Television Awards in September.