has reflected on how “dark” the last 18 months have been following his exit from . The former presenter claimed he was “so close” to ending his life after admitting to an with a younger male colleague.
62-year-old Phillip is set to make his TV comeback next week in the three-part special, . The show follows his high-profile departure from ITV in May 2023.
“In the last 18 months it got as dark as it is possible to get,” the father-of-two said. “A year ago, I got so, so close. I had everything in place. Everything was set up. Everything was ready.
“And it was Molly that was looking after me. Molly and Ruby were both looking after me at the time.”
He continued, recounting a conversation with the former: “‘Do you imagine what this would do to us if you actually managed to pull this off? Imagine what would happen? Can you imagine what it would do to me if you did this on my watch?’
Phillip Schofield is set to make his TV comeback on Monday. (Image: Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited/Burning Bright Productions/PA Wire)
“And that was just enough. Just enough to take a step back from the edge. I could have been hospitalised. I had the option to be hospitalised, but then I thought, that’s going to get out.
“So I just raced to the family home and shut the gates,” he added.
Phillip also uses Cast Away to claim that while he does “miss parts of being on TV”, there are bits he “really, really, really [doesn’t] miss.
“You learn a lot about people, I don’t miss that,” he explained.
In the first episode of the show, filmed on a tropical island off the coast of Madagascar, Phillip is seen enjoying a BBQ lunch with Molly, Ruby and
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Phillip Schofield: Cast Away sees three 60-minute episodes being broadcast on Channel 5 (Image: Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited/Burning Bright Productions/PA Wire)
Around the garden table, the former favourite seemingly mocks former co-host , as per
He is seen asking his family: “If you’re okay, then we’re okay and I’m okay. Are you okay?,” referring to the address the 43-year-old gave following Phillip’s exit from This Morning.
Viewers also hear from Molly herself, who says the last year-and-a-half has brought her family “closer” together.
“We’ve seen him at his lowest times, but I’ve been so proud of him, and as a daughter to see the love that people had for him that when it’s taken away it’s just heartbreaking,” she confessed.
Following the announcement that he would be making his first TV appearance in 16 months, “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.”
: Cast Away begins at 9pm on Monday on Channel 5. The penultimate and final episodes will air on Tuesday and Wednesday at the same time.
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