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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Sorry, another Philip Schofield one...

999 replies

UnaCorda · 08/02/2020 20:20

I really couldn't care less about Philip Schofield's sexuality (or anyone else's) and good for him for finally being true to himself. But what makes me quite cross is all this talk of honesty and bravery, and the self-indulgent, tortured confessional in front of the nation when really it's of no importance to anyone who doesn't know him personally.

In the clip of his chat with Holly he asks repeatedly, "When is the right time?" In my opinion, the right time is before you get married to someone who believes you are straight. It's not brave, or honest, to make someone unwittingly provide you with the benefits of a heterosexual relationship, including children, so you can be viewed by the public as a "respectable family man". It's actually rather selfish.

I had a brief relationship with someone who I later discovered was gay. He didn't even have the balls to tell me directly, and it seriously screwed me up for a long time. I can't imagine what it must be like to find out your husband of 27 years is homosexual.

I'm not gay, so perhaps I am being unreasonable as I don't know what it is like to come out to friends and family (although I imagine it is easier now than it was thirty years ago) and I don't know whether PS really believed that he was in love with his wife when they got married. But I do think that leaving a duplicitous life which affects other people is not a kind or honourable thing to do and I feel very sorry for his wife and daughters who I think really have been brave.

OP posts:
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NumbersStation · 10/02/2020 14:03

@BeyondReasonablyDoubtsLots

As I just said on the other thread, Piers' face towards the end of the clip is a picture - he looks like his mouth is full of bees!

Couldn’t have said it better!!!

I reckon there is going to be a world of pain soon and that tortoise is going to look even more dead behind the eyes than he does just now.

Living his life truth now? He might well be but the choice to be a bit lot woolly round the edges is making him live his life with a pack of snarling wolves at his arse.

NumbersStation · 10/02/2020 14:04

@BeyondReasonablyDoubtsLots

As I just said on the other thread, Piers' face towards the end of the clip is a picture - he looks like his mouth is full of bees!

Couldn’t have said it better!!!

I reckon there is going to be a world of pain soon and that tortoise is going to look even more dead behind the eyes than he does just now.

Living his life truth now? He might well be but the choice to be a bit lot woolly round the edges is making him live his life with a pack of snarling wolves at his arse.

NumbersStation · 10/02/2020 14:06

Oops - try again

@BeyondReasonablyDoubtsLots

As I just said on the other thread, Piers' face towards the end of the clip is a picture - he looks like his mouth is full of bees!

Couldn’t have said it better!!!

I reckon there is going to be a world of pain soon and that tortoise is going to look even more dead behind the eyes than he does just now.

Living his life truth now? He might well be but the choice to be a bit lot woolly round the edges is making him live his life with a pack of snarling wolves at his arse.

WaktiWapnasi · 10/02/2020 14:19

That's a laughable amount of imagined backstabbing to try to pretend PS isn't a lying, cheating scumbag. I'm sure Piers Morgan will love it that you think he's so influential though

Oh PS is a lying cheating scumbag, there is no doubt about it. But there are lots of blistering arseholes in the entertainment industry who never get exposed. PS has gone decades happily having his family man front to the public and living as a gay man behind closed doors and within the safety of the media bubble. Why come out now?

He would have you think it's because he just has to live "true, authentic self". I say bullshit - he was pushed. And if you think Morgan doesn't have influence you are very naive.

Dontsweatthelittlestuff · 10/02/2020 14:20

I didn’t watch the original coming out until just now.
Watched the hug between him and EH and thought that EH looked so uncomfortable the hand reaching out and then with PS hanging around his neck In some weird style hug.

No one looked shocked at all about the announcement and the whole thing looked stage managed.

NutEIIaFitzgerald · 10/02/2020 14:25

Nope. There was, and only ever can be, one person when PS is involved, and that is of course him

I did see at the weekend a discussion on whether PS was a top or a bottom and someone said he was too self self self to ever do a reacharound Grin

KatyCarrCan · 10/02/2020 14:50

I know people who worked with Piers. I think I know how much influence he has. But you setting him up as the puppet master takes agency away from Amanda and Ruth. It also feeds into PS' victim narrative.
There have been rumours about PS being difficult to work with for years. The complaints from Ruth and Amanda ultimately made no impact. What made a little difference was when Holly's camp started to release murmurs that she was unhappy too. The latter coincided with the runner story appearing in the media.

HangingOffYourCloud · 10/02/2020 14:51

Holly's camp started to release murmurs that she was unhappy too

Did they? I thought they were besties.

yolofish · 10/02/2020 14:52

Poor runner. I'm feeling like he's the sacrificial lamb to the slaughter here.

Dusty01 · 10/02/2020 14:55

Why are they all bending over backwards to protect PS now then?

Dusty01 · 10/02/2020 14:57

And why is the rest of the media including The Guardian and even Newsnight!? joining in?

I get that a superinjunction might be stopping a story being published, but why are all the, what I thought were, respectable (ish) publications spewing out such duplicitous drivel?

lolawasashowgirl · 10/02/2020 15:01

So out of interest on what grounds would you be able to obtain a superinjunction on the story?

Aderyn19 · 10/02/2020 15:06

If there was a super injunction I believe that bans all discussion of even the existence of a possible story. Iirc a standard injunction can be granted if publication is deemed to be damaging to innocent parties (wives and DC for example). I think that's the justification footballers and actors use when they want to keep it out of the press that they're playing away.

yolofish · 10/02/2020 15:07

I wonder aderyn if that still applies when the children are no longer minors?

IHaveBrilloHair · 10/02/2020 15:17

What about that other ITV bigwig Sinitta Wink
Any comments from him, erm her?

WaktiWapnasi · 10/02/2020 15:17

No I am sure the complaints are perfectly valid and should have been given more attention than they have but nevertheless I think they are being used in a point scoring fight between men.

Women complaining about powerful men rarely gains traction (which is wrong but...), if they felt emboldened to risk themselves by making a complaint it's because they have someone in their corner.

Celebs don't bash celebs. You play nicely nice and bitch about them behind their backs because that is the game. I've worked in the industry. There is a huge amount of backstabbing, ego driven power playing nonsense but it stays in house unless there is something else going on.

IHaveBrilloHair · 10/02/2020 15:19

Though perhaps the trousers were worn so high as to cover their mouth?

HeIenaDove · 10/02/2020 15:20

Why now? The question posed by Joan Collins was also the same question PS asked the first women who came forward about what Jimmy Savile did. He was awful to them. And being asked that question was much worse for them than it would be for them.

So its almost poetic justice that the same question should now be asked of him. He deserves to be asked that question. They didnt!

BeyondReasonablyDoubtsLots · 10/02/2020 15:21

I've always wondered how super injunctions are intended to keep secrets. By their nature, they have to share the news that cannot be shared in order for anyone to know it cannot be shared. Iyswim? Confused

HeIenaDove · 10/02/2020 15:21

And being asked that question was much worse for them than it would be for HIM is what i meant.

GetOffYourHighHorse · 10/02/2020 15:38

He needs to address the rumours imo. Even a brief 'the comments on social media are all untrue'. Is he thinking that it will just go away?

If he'd been having an affair with a man who was in their 40s I don't think anyone would care, but it's the farce of the Fri announcement 'ive decided to come out aren't you all surprised!' that is ridiculous. If the social media gossip is true then the age and abuse of power would surely be career ending.

Oblomov20 · 10/02/2020 15:48

PS is well known as gay in the entertainment industry. He's had tonnes of relationships. His wife has known about this for years.

Isn't his relationship with runner Matthw mcgr*vy known aswell.

His wife chose to stay and manage the career of a million pound tv personality.

I'm not sure anyone needs sympathy in all of this. Especially not 'brave' Pip! Hmm

Oblomov20 · 10/02/2020 15:51

This reply has been deleted

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itwaseverthus · 10/02/2020 15:57

I agree Oblomov My strong hunch is his wife has known a long, long time. I can't get behind the sympathy for his family because I just don't believe they didn't know and weren't fine with it. So what is really behind him coming out so publically?

daisychain01 · 10/02/2020 16:08

@HandsOffMyLangCleg that's an interesting comparison to Profumo.

In Profumo's defence (as if a politician ever needs anyone to defend them!),:and perhaps a sign of those times, after his affair with Keeler was 'outed' he withdrew completely from public life, in shame at what happened, and devoted the rest of his life to charitable works.

it remains to be seen how PS will respond to his revelation over the long term. I can't imagine his career continuing on a smooth track after this. Public opinion is so vehemently against the injustice of what he's done to his family, he will have to decide whether to go, before he's shunned by society, not for being gay, but for being so duplicitous to his family and now to his audience.

To coin a phrase If you live by the sword of social media, you die by the sword of social media