Phillip Schofield was spotted looking relaxed and happy as he stepped out for the first time since Dancing On Ice returned to screens.
The star, 61, stepped down from presenting the show alongside his best pal Holly Willoughby following his departure from This Morning in May last year, when his ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a younger colleague was made public.
Earlier this month, DOI returned with Holly, 42, at the helm alongside Phillip’s replacement Stephen Mulhurn, 46, yet it has been reported that the disgraced TV star has not been tuning in as he is ‘bruised’ by his absence.
During his outing on Thursday, Phillip headed to a local shop, which he departed while laughing and grinning wildly in a rare sighting of the star.
According to The Sun, a source said: ‘Phil is still bruised by the whole Holly falling-out and the way it was played out publicly. He still can’t bring himself to watch This Morning and even listening to the theme tune is deeply triggering.
Phillip Schofield was spotted looking relaxed and happy as he stepped out for the first time since Dancing On Ice returned to screens
Earlier this month, DOI returned with Holly, 42, at the helm alongside Phillip’s replacement Stephen Mulhurn, 46, yet it has been reported that the disgraced TV star has not been tuning in as he is ‘bruised’ by his absence
During his outing on Thursday, Phillip headed to a local shop, which he departed while laughing and grinning wildly in a rare sighting of the star
Phillip has bowed out of the spotlight in recent months since his affair scandal in May, which led to his departure from This Morning after over 20 years on the show
‘It would seem unlikely he is avidly tuning in to watch Holly’s return to TV. Phil wants to move on and live a quiet life away from the spotlight whilst he tries to rebuild.
‘He reached out to offer his support when the awful kidnap news broke but it’s understood they have not been in contact since, so he’s probably not spoken to Holly ahead of her DOI return.’
Phillip has bowed out of the spotlight in recent months since his affair scandal in May, which led to his departure from This Morning after over 20 years on the show.
After much speculation about his private life, his affair finally went public and he admitted he had been left ‘broken and ashamed’ but insisted he was not a groomer.
He said the affair ‘never came across’ as an abuse of power because he and his lover were ‘mates’. He told The Sun: ‘I was unprofessional, one time, in a 41-year career. There is no excuse. No one did anything wrong apart from me.’
In his first interview since leaving the broadcaster and This Morning, the 61-year-old presenter said: ‘I did not, I did not [groom him].
‘There are accusations of all sorts of things. It never came across that way because we’d become mates. I don’t know about that. But of course I understand that there will be a massive judgment, but bearing in mind, I have never exercised that.’
At the time, Phillip offered a number of apologies, including to his co-presenter of 14 years Holly Willoughby and his wife of 30 years, Stephanie Lowe.
Holly and Phil are pictured presenting the show last year. Holly co-hosted the show with Phillip from its inception in 2006 until 2011
After much speculation about his private life, his affair finally went public and he admitted he had been left ‘broken and ashamed’ but insisted he was not a groomer
Phillip cut a low-key figure as he emerged from the shop in the wake of the comeback of the show
He showed his taste for luxury as he rocked a Moncler jacket during the outing
But he said his ‘greatest apology’ over the fallout from the affair was to his former lover. He said: ‘It has brought the greatest misery into his totally innocent life, his totally innocent family, his totally innocent friends…
‘It has brought the greatest grief to them. I am deeply sorry and I apologise to him because I should have known better. I should have acted the way I have always acted. I should not have done it.
‘I’m sorry. And I will forever be sorry. I will die sorry. I am so deeply mortified.’
Following the scandal, he also stepped down from Dancing On Ice, which he had host from 2006 to 2014 before resuming in 2018 until his departure last year.
He was having an uproarious giggle as he stepped out of the building
Phillip did not have a care in the world as he departed the building with his shopping in hand
After much speculation about his replacement, Stephen was revealed earlier this month after which viewers praised the Catchphrase host for his debut performance as regular co-host alongside Holly as the 2024 series launched.
Opening the widely-discussed show, Holly told ITV viewers: ‘We are off!’, before asking fans to give her new co-host a warm reception, adding: ‘And also can we just say a huge welcome to Stephen Mulhern!’
Fans of the show took to social media to praise the pair, with many crediting Stephen for bringing ‘fresh energy’ and injecting ‘some real fun’ into the episode.
One person wrote on Twitter: ‘Enjoyed Stephen Mulhern as a presenter on #DancingOnIce alongside Holly. Brought some fresh energy to the show!’
The star was casually clad in jeans and Converse paired with a padded jacket while leaving the local store