Phillip Schofield has come out as gay

[catinb0oots]

Blimey. Married for 27 years.

THIS
He could have released a statement saying his marriage was over. And then another quiet statement announcing his new relationship. There was no need for the tears and the interview. And, since he knows how to handle the media, that makes me cynical about the timing and manner of all of this.

His poor wife and kids. And out come the people going “isn’t he brave” etc. Well actually no he’s not. If he was brave he wouldn’t have drawn his poor wife into his charade for nigh on 30 years. Wasting arguably what should have been the best years of her life, tainting all the happy memories with a shadow of whether they were all built on a lie.

I suspect her support might well turn to anger at some point.

From of one of my gay friends: Schofield is being heralded as brave and exemplary when in fact he stayed closeted his entire life, leaving us to field the abuse of homophobes on his behalf until he felt safe enough in his career to come out - and his wife to pick up the pieces of her own life, which she is being pushed to feel fine about.

. And I haven’t lied to him.

And that's the key isn't it. Is he in love with you? Could he be happier with someone who was 'in love' with him rather than just 'staying married' to him? Perhaps not. But you haven't lied so I would say that's none of my business. However, the interview and statements from Philip indicate she hasn't always known. There would be no need for anguished family discussions, acknowledgement of hurt caused etc, if she was all hunky dory with it all along.

how do you all know that he's known he was gay for 27 years?

maybe this is a very recent revelation to him?

travellerist thank you . I am now, thankfully - I’m still very unconfident in myself and have a horrendous sense of Catholic guilt hanging over me that will probably always be there, but I’m getting there .

My aunt’s sister was a lesbian and she took her own life some twenty years ago . She was a mum with two sons and had been married to a man . I know how horribly my aunty has struggled since and I know all involved would so rather have had her still be alive and being true to herself - not feeling guilty, nor ashamed .

I really disagree with the people saying you could be openly gay in the 80s and be a kids' tv presenter and go on to be a major, MAJOR daytime/ primetime star even on the 90s. You'd have to either tick the "oh-so-camp" box a la Dale Winton and be happy doing campy stuff or gay-specific stories but you wouldn't have been able to have done day in day out like he has without being seen as a "decent" family man. The public simply wouldn't have accepted it imo.

Even watching This Life, which was early 90s, the modern young people joke about Warren being "a poof". Things have changed loads in the last few years.

How can anyone be gay, yet married to someone of the opposite sex for so long? Surely Bi is the accurate description.

Some gay men can and do have sex with women. I know, I'm one of them and like Schofield's wife, married for 30 years before he came out. He was not gay - he left to be with another man and had already had a 6 year relationshp with a man which I knew nothing about.

"Reasonable" ? @jakeyboy1. I wouldn't call some of these comments to reasonable.

People can have sympathy for his wife and think he was very brave. The two don't need to be mutually exclusive.

That he is gay is really not our business. (It isn't even surprising - lots of people are gay. )

Is the story really that after 27 years he is going to leave his wife and have relationships with other people?

Would this play differently if he hadn't added the 'coming out' ?

There have been openly out TV presenters for decades now. Homophobia isn't an excuse for deception.

Name 5 TV presenters who have been openly gay (gods I hate that term) since the the 1980s.

I am a child of a lesbian.
My mother came out to the family when I was 17 (because I was old enough to understand). She had been married to my dad for 22 years. None of us had a clue. She fucked up 2 families when she did this. Her partner had 2 teenagers, so us kids were 16, 17, 18 and 19.
My sister (19) had already moved out. The rest of us were left swinging in the wind.
My dad chose to do 2 weeks on 2 weeks off with his job and I saw him once a fortnight.
The 16 year old ended up with an eating disorder and a shit relationship, I ended up with mental health issues and a shit relationship, the 18 year old ended up trying all sorts of drugs and a shit relationship and the 19 year old was diagnosed with bipolar 2 and a shit relationship.
I look back to my childhood and realise that's probably why she was not a loving person.
Even now 30 years later I'm fucked up. But my mental health improved after my mother died because I didn't have to see her anymore.
I was HAPPY when she died and felt no guilt at all.

I dont get why people are saying they feel sorry for his daughters? Like its something to be ashamed off? Sorry for his wife yes, her relationship is over. But for his daughters hes still their dad!!!

Because their dad lied to their mum for 30years??!

It's interesting your experience of coming out in the 1980s/1990s in the entertainment industry is different.

The fact you made up this utter nonsense (re-read my post and response ...) explains quite clearly to me why you've made up such a story about Schofield's announcement too. You're reading between lines that aren't there. We have no idea of the ins and outs (any more than you know my experience of coming out, despite the complete inaccuracy you're putting about here).

You may get a lot of people agreeing with you that minimising homophobia in the 80s/90s is fine and desirable and actually makes you a rather wonderful person. Maybe it's worth stepping back and considering why people would like to agree with you here?

'Is the story really that after 27 years he is going to leave his wife and have relationships with other people?'

That is the bizarre bit. Separate first then do all the coming out announcements.

From of one of my gay friends: Schofield is being heralded as brave and exemplary when in fact he stayed closeted his entire life, leaving us to field the abuse of homophobes on his behalf until he felt safe enough in his career to come out - and his wife to pick up the pieces of her own life, which she is being pushed to feel fine about.

This.

Sorry posted too soon:

I meant to add

....and who who have maintained their careers to the extent Schofield has.

I dont get why people are saying they feel sorry for his daughters? Like its something to be ashamed off? Sorry for his wife yes, her relationship is over. But for his daughters hes still their dad!!!

It's nothing to do with being gay! My parents divorced when I was 12 & I felt like my childhood was a sham & that was without any deceit.

It would very probably have damaged his career in the 80s and 90s so I don't blame him for not publicly coming out at that time. It may be that he's deceived his wife for years but who knows? She may have known all along. I don't really see why she would say she supported she isn't.

Well, I was very surprised to read this story this morning.

His poor wife and daughters. They are being forced to act as though this is brilliant news when it must have been a crashing, earth-shattering devastation in all their lives. But because every celeb with an Instagram account will now spend the day shouting from the rafters about how proud they are of him and how totally awesome it all is - those women at the centre of his life have to do likewise when I’m sure their hearts are breaking.

It's funny how much vitriol and criticism Phil's getting whilst at the same time proclaiming he's not brave. In having opened himself up to that, is that not what brave means?

Strange timing too. Holly and Phil don't work on Fridays but on a day when Ruth/Eamonn are, he appears with Holly. And they all do the hug thing.

At a time where he has faced a lot of rumours about his bullying ways, and gets linked to Ruth for that reason. He may be saying guys, I have been a royal pain but it was because I was suppressing my true self, and that made me take it out on other people. And suddenly he is brave Phillip, not bully Phillip.

Why not do it on a Monday when there was no Ruth or Eamon. Was there a story about to air?

Just really odd timing.

I dont get why people are saying they feel sorry for his daughters?

A marriage ending is hard enough on children without (a) the media spotlight and (b) the potential that there may have been years of deception.

Has his wife said anything about it?