Phillip Schofield was spotted out in West London ahead of his TV comeback on Monday. (Image: w8media)
was pictured enjoying downtime with his wife and friends just hours before returning to the small screen following a 16-month hiatus. The former presenter was in the capital on Saturday evening (September 28), posing for pictures in a smart suit while sipping on fizz.
In new pictures taken before airs on , the 62-year-old could be seen celebrating a pal’s engagement in a West London venue. He was joined by his as well as his pet dog, as per .
In subsequent images, the ex- presenter was chatting animatedly while surrounded by heart-shaped balloons. A reported source told the publication that Phillip had seemingly been in “good spirits” during the outing and he “looked like he was enjoying himself.
“It looked like they were attending an engagement party for a friend and he helped himself to some cake too,” they added. The images come ahead of tonight’s episode of Cast Away airing, which will see the father-of-two surviving for ten days on a remote island off the coast of Madagascar.
The three-episode show marks his return to showbiz after exiting ITV following an with a younger male colleague. The controversial comeback sees Phillip candidly addressing the “dark” times that followed after he resigned from This Morning after more than twenty years at the helm.
Phillip spent an evening at the venue before taking a taxi home with his dog, Alfie. (Image: w8media)
“In the last 18 months it got as dark as it is possible to get,” he explained. “A year ago, I got so, so close. I had everything in place. Everything was set up. Everything was ready.”
Phillip claims his and Stephanie’s daughters, Molly and Ruby, after asking him to “imagine” would would happen if he pulled off ending his own life.
“I could have been hospitalised,” he admitted. “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.”
Meanwhile, he concealed from both ITV and his representatives.
“Shamed, disgraced who had an affair. But strangely, I think another TV presenter or two might have done exactly the same thing,” he remarked.
“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.”
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Phillip’s TV comeback will be the three-part mini-series, Cast Away on Channel 5. (Image: w8media)
The former ITV presenter quit daytime TV after admitting to an ‘unwise, but not illegal’ affair. (Image: w8media)
The veteran broadcaster in February 2020, claiming it had “become an issue in [his] head”.
“With the strength and support of my wife and my daughters, I have been coming to terms with the fact that I am gay,” he wrote in a post on .
After sharing the sentiment on social media, Phillip was interviewed by his former co-host on This Morning.
During the chat he he revealed he’d been inspired by the “brave” guests who had previously appeared on the show.
During Cast Away, the previous favourite alleged he was “very proud” of what he did but admitted coming out “later in life” had given him “more anguish than joy”.
“I am fully aware of the damage that it leaves,” he added.
Tune into the first episode of : Cast Away on Channel 5 tonight at 9pm.
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