I am not a groomer, says Schofield

Phillip Schofield has said helium is "not a groomer" aft admitting to having an matter with a younger antheral colleague.

The erstwhile This Morning presenter left ITV past week aft helium confirmed the narration and helium had lied astir it.

The TV prima told the Sun: "I did a atrocious thing: I volition dice atrocious - I've brought the top misery into his wholly guiltless life."

Schofield has besides spoken to the BBC's Amol Rajan, whose interrogation volition beryllium broadcast from 06:00 BST connected Friday.

The afloat interrogation volition beryllium disposable connected iPlayer.

The 61-year-old archetypal met the antheral helium would spell connected to person an matter with erstwhile helium was invited to look astatine an lawsuit astatine a play school.

He said helium knew radical had recovered immoderate elements of the communicative shocking, but said: "I americium not a groomer."

The matter began, Schofield said, erstwhile the antheral was 20 years aged and moving alongside him astatine ITV.

"He worked connected the amusement for a bit, and we became mates," Schofield told the newspaper.

"And past 1 time thing happened that conscionable changed it. And that is the infinitesimal I look backmost on, and regret truthful deeply."

Questions person been raised astir ITV's handling of the situation, however overmuch bosses knew of the affair, and whether its ain probe went acold enough.

ITV's main enforcement Dame Carolyn McCall has been asked to be the Culture, Media and Sport Committee connected 14 June to reply questions astir the broadcaster's attack to safeguarding pursuing the controversy.

Schofield told the Sun that his archetypal romanticist brushwood with the antheral was successful his dressing country astatine ITV.

"It was a consensual moment, it was mutual," helium said. "It was not a emotion affair, it was not a relationship, we were not boyfriends; we were mates."

"Over a play of clip it happened possibly 5 oregon six times. We conscionable didn't deliberation anyone knew, determination was nary lying, we thought, stupidly, that cipher knew."

He concluded: "You look astatine yourself, and I perfectly cognize determination is nary question I did a atrocious thing. I was unprofessional, 1 time, successful a 41-year career.

"I cognize I did that. And determination is nary excuse. I don't person an excuse. I won't enactment guardant an excuse. No-one did thing incorrect isolated from me."

Schofield besides apologised to his erstwhile lover.

"It has brought the top misery into his wholly guiltless life, his wholly guiltless family, his wholly guiltless friends," helium said. "It has brought the top grief to them."

ITV has instructed a barrister to transportation retired an outer reappraisal to found the facts astir however the broadcast web handled its ain probe into rumours of the matter successful 2020.