Phillip Schofield has come out as gay

[catinb0oots]

Blimey. Married for 27 years.

I feel so sorry for his wife. Not so much his children, because your dad’s your dad, but his poor wife.

Presumably she’s known for a long time, as people say there have been rumours, but why would she stay with him? Yes he’s rich, but it also seems he’s a bully as well. Has he bullied her into keeping quiet? I hope she can move on and be happy now.

It’s funny he’s decided to come out now that there’s so much negativity about him in the press at the moment. It’s almost as though he’s hoping everyone will forget all the bad stuff. All I’m seeing on my Facebook wall is ‘he’s so brave’. Er really? He’s been living a lie for more than 27 years in a career that couldn’t care less about anyone's sexuality. He’s not exactly a gladiator.

As I said on the AIBU thread...

I couldn't give two stuffs about Phillip and his sexuality. Don't care. His business, no big deal.

But I do feel dreadfully sorry for his wife who has given up 30 years to a fraud. All the "brave" comments to Phillip must make her so cross. She's the one who's had her life ripped apart by all this. I hope she takes him to the cleaners in their divorce. #TeamSteph

@Haworthia. The journalist makes it patently obvious he is gay. Kind of uncomfortable to read tbh.

Some very unpleasant comments on here. It often takes people very many years to accept/come to terms with/even realise that they are gay. Sexuality is fluid.

I have many gay friends and relatives. Most of them had heterosexual relationships to start with and often these were quite long and committed!

I worked with a guy who came out at probably the same age as PS. He also had a wife and young adult children. The industry and circles we worked in would have been perfectly accepting of his sexuality, it wouldn't be shocking at all, but he wasn't ready to come out until he was in his 50s.

I'm not a fan of PS as I never watch any of the shows he has anything to do with. But I don't instantly suspect him of being uncaring/dishonest/
having an agenda with this news.

@wowfudge They said in the interview his wife and daughters were at home watching.

For an awful lot of people, it is not simple to know you're gay. They might not know. They might convince themselves they're bi. They might convince themselves they're straight.

Don't get married until you're sure of your sexuality. It's not that difficult.

I really feel for his wife. I hope she's known longer than it comes across so she's been able to come to terms with things in private.

DH's exW did the same to him (many years before we got together but I did know him at the time) and it affected him really badly. As well as the lies/deceit of being cheated on, he then had the fact that all the years they'd been together had been a lie as well. They didn't have DC together at least but she got all the "brave" comments too while he was shoved to the side and left to pick up the pieces, and anything he said that wasn't in support of her had him being called homophobic.

Watching Holly read the statement was seriously cringeworthy.

It really really was I think Ruth or Eamon would have delivered if better!

I don't think Andi peters was ever in was he ?

Gosh that article linked below is very telling isn't it? A bit of a temper , a ' what is love?' moment , rumours of being gay and written years and years ago.

And also the guff about family being supportive - they have to be. They can't come out and say they're not happy because then they'd be condemned as homophobic. They have to put up, shut up and smile sweetly pretending everything's lovely, while their dad/husband/relative parades all over telly and social media getting everyone telling him he's the brave one.

Don't be ridiculous. What if you don't know you're not sure? What if it never occurred to you you weren't straight?

I have a friend whose mum would be about Schofield's age. When my friend came out, her mum replied 'don't be silly - that's not being gay, every woman feels like that about her woman friends'.

She honestly believed (and still, for all I know believes) that it's completely normal heterosexual behaviour for women to fancy other women. In her world 'being gay' is something else.

I wish I could say this was unusual.

studentadvice I can't imagine how hellish it must be to deal with that pressure and mental torture. So glad you can live freely and everyone was largely accepting.

Holy fk!

Didn't we always know?

Like the sweet little diver, Tom Daly. He made a dramatic statement and UK replied, 'its OK Love, we always knew'.

Andi Peters is another one?

Maybe his wife always knew he was bi.

sunshinesupermum
I understand exactly what you are saying.

So glad his wife and family are showing him love and support

What choice do they have?

Say "actually you're a shit for doing this" and then get lambasted in public for being homophobic?

I feel desperately sorry for them.

@GeraltOfRivia Completely agree.

I’m not fond of Pip but I will say fair play to him for finally coming out. It wasn’t a surprise.

Is it brave? Something to be proud about? Not sure it is because it should be a non-issue. It isn’t something that matters.

No-one knows what the dynamic Is at home bar his family so good on them if they are as accepting and happy as they say.

My sympathy lies with his wife. 27 years is a long time to be with someone who would rather be with a man. And 27 years is a long time to be such a huge part of someone else’s lie.

My poor friend had her life completely devastated by her husband's actions ( he is now living as a woman)
She wasn't ' supportive' because she had been lied to and duped for 18 years. She couldn't find it in her to want anything to do with him. There is a lot of pressure for people to be different to this and be brave or even friends. I feel this is wrong as you can't help how you feel about a situation. Obviously Phil's wife and family will be there for him. I hope someone is there for her too.

Exactly pineapple

This will 100% have affected his children and wife.

As a child, it changes everything, the realisation that your parents were never really in love and that's why you grew up in such strange dynamics.

I am so, so relieved to see all the comments which appreciate this.