What's happening to Phillip Schofield?

[ridiculousridiculousness]

It seems like the stories about the old silver fox are ramping up. Feel like there's more mileage in this one that we know...

It is his fault. He didn't need to get married to someone, he chose to. His marriage was a deception and his wife victim. I have a great uncle and aunt who were in a 'lavender' marriage. They were both gay and married as a cover to keep their parents happy. They never had children, had secret relationships and lived as best friends. It is tragic that they had to live like that. Truly awful. They considered themselves blessed that they had each other and loved and supported each other totally. They died within a week of each other. But the difference is, two consenting adults entered into their marriage knowing what they were getting in to from the begining. It doesn't seem that Stephanie Scholfield knew from the beginning. Therefore, she has been deceived. It is possible to dislike that behaviour, chastise and challenge it, whilst also promoting the message that it is absolutely ok to be 'out and proud'. I am pleased for PH, I hope he is happy. However, he should feel bad for the hurt he has caused his wife. He shouldn't have married for his own selfish reasons. His wife deserves more than being someone else's shield.

I don't think that he's 'brave' for coming out

just leave him alone he has done a very brave and honest thing

Aww, isn't Pip brave and amazing! Never mind his wife who's been strung along by a lie for 27 years and had her life ruined.

I thought it was great for my ds. Why on earth would it be a blow and step back for the LGBT community?

I much prefer Eamonn and Ruth presenting This Morning. Much more natural. I can't really stand all the childish (fake) giggling from P&H.

Aww, isn't Pip brave and amazing! Never mind his wife who's been strung along by a lie for 27 years and had her life ruined.
Does anybody know that though? She could have known for years, she could always have known. They could have had a loving, happy marriage for a long, long time. Nobody knows her life has been 'ruined'
The hate for him on here is astounding.

She could have known for years, she could always have known. They could have had a loving, happy marriage for a long, long time.

Yeah.....because I’m sure many women whose husband revealed to them that they were gay would still stay with them for many, many years and enjoy a happy marriage with him.....

I’m pretty sure if my husband came out as gay to I wouldn’t feel the same way about him and I certainly couldn’t continue to enjoy a happy (sham) marriage to him for many, many years.

@Gr3yCl3y I don't understand why its brave and a big thing so he has to announce it on telly as something to be ashamed of.
Doing it this way brings back the idea that it is shameful IMO.

The more I think about it, I think the announcement part was more to do with announcing the end of his marriage than announcing he is gay

Err no it doesn’t. Making it seem shameful comes from homophobia, language, bullying etc.

Somebody being honest and not hiding far better.

Someone was going to let the cat out of the bag. He just decided to come out for damage limitation. Unfortunately this won’t stop him being so smug.

This.

I do agree @Gr3yCl3y but its the whole tears and being brave thing, sitting there all lips aquiver. Just be who you are, why does it have to be a "you are so brave" thing?

Maybe the tears were genuine and he was greatful and humbled by the immense support and love from his wife family and friends.

I would have had more respect if he had just got a divorce and them moved on with his life with a boyfriend or whatnot. Rock stars do it all the time and no-one bats an eyelid.

I've got no hate for PS at all. As a TV presenter, I feel exactly the same about him as I did the day before yesterday. I love him on 'This Morning', fondly remember him with Gordon the Gopher - still a staple of my childhood. Love the Christmas show he does. I will continue to watch them all and still think he is funny and charming. But, I still think a man marrying a woman when he is gay is cruel and deceptive. My sympathies still lie with Stephanie. Most straight women wouldn't choose to marry a gay man and accept a half marriage. However, most mothers would do anything to protect their kids, and that includes staying in an unhappy marriage and publically supporting their dad when they come out. It doesn't mean that what she has been through is not utterly awful though. It is PS's fault. He lied to her. I have no right to be outraged that he lied to the public - he deserves a private life. I do feel sorry for the woman he married and lied to though. The fact that everyone is overlooking this in order to tell him he is wonderful and brave isn't fair.

DP and I were gobsmacked by him coming out. We'd both assumed he was gay, and didn't know he had a wife and kids.

It's reminiscent of when Peter Mandelson came out. I was very involved in the Labour party at the time, and the reaction was pretty much "I had no idea he was in the closet".

I feel sorry for his wife. If she didn't know, she must feel dreadful, to think that she's been his beard for all this time.

I'd rather see Gordon the Gopher back on telly.

I still think something's odd about all this, I'm leaning towards not believing him. I don't know why you'd say it though.

Another one who doesn’t think there’s anything brave about stringing your wife along for all this time. She’s just collateral damage really and he’s enjoyed having her there when it’s helped his career by showing him as a family man/silver fox etc. Now that the story was about to come out anyway, he’s thrown her under a bus in an attempt to do whatever he felt would be least damaging to his career. It’s not brave at all.

He hasn't been 'brave' he's told the truth about something that he was obviously going to be outed by the press about. I don't see why he needed to do the big chat with Holly about a few minutes after he released his statement other than to gain sympathy seeing as the tide has turned against him in the last few months.

@Gr3yCl3y Your son is actually the true inspiration to the LGBTQ+ community here. To stay true to yourself in the face of homophobia and persecution is brave. Really brave. I'm really lucky to work in a school where the pupils have pretty much eradicated homophobic bullying by themselves. There are incidents where homophobic slurs are used but the kids will not accept it as a student body. Some of our Yr 10 footballers refused to play for the school team if a kid who called another kid 'a bum basher' wasn't banned for a match and made to apologise. The way they went about it wasn't great- they almost started a riot, and I had to get involved as a HOY, but their hearts were in the right place and I was proud of them for standing up for their 'out and proud' teammate.

DP and I were gobsmacked by him coming out. We'd both assumed he was gay, and didn't know he had a wife and kids.

I said to dh yesterday that there’s no way his wife was the last to know what everyone else has suspected for years! It wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve both known for years and that the marriage has since been an arrangement to protect his public family-friendly image and maybe she’s been quite happy to stand by and enjoy the benefits of family stability and money. They may have even had an open marriage for all we know.

I really don’t think PS was wrong to get married. Plenty of people fall in live and marry and then later in life experience a shift in sexuality. It is I believe quite fluid.

That said I do find him an obnoxious little twerp so my sympathy lies more with his wife for putting up with him all these years!

I also think it would have been braver for him to have read his own statement rather than sitting beside Holly while she read it.

Blimey, did she really savethecat?! How bizarre. I didn’t watch it!

@savethecat I totally agree

I don't believe he deceived his wife to be nasty or manipulative. 27 years ago (or however long) it was hugely shameful to come out and even now it isn't easy. Yes, ok some people don't give a toss what others think and good for them! But there are still many more who care and there is still a lot of homophobia.

Of course I feel sorry for his wife but i don't think he set out to hurt her. He wanted to be 'normal' perhaps even needed to be seen to be straight for his career back then.
It's ok saying stay true to yourself but it isn't always easy to do!