Sorry, another Philip Schofield one...

[UnaCorda]

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.

I remember looking at Holly a couple of weeks ago and thinking she looked tired round the eyes - in a way she doesn't normally. Kind of hollow eyed. Now I'm wondering if she's drained with all this. PS's issues and his needs must be draining, and particularly if on some level she's getting fed up with him herself. I bet he's a handful.

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

Ffs that's victim-blaming - do you honestly think PS admitted to his wife during their wedding plans "I've got something to tell you, I'm gay".

No, so their wedding will have gone ahead on the basis they were going to spend their life together as a married couple. And have children together. By the time he eventually got round to telling her, whenever that was over the 27 years of marriage, they had already made that life for themselves. Imagine how you'd feel having that bombshell thrown at you, when you love the man you've married. Is that really her fault?? Should she really be blamed for not walking away?

I said on another thread that if the runner had been a 21 year old woman she would be being painted as a gold digger.

So im not surprised to see this thinly veiled implication being levelled at his wife instead

I find it quite bizarre (not that it’s any of my business) that either PS or his wife would want to stay married to one another once he had come out to her.

I know many people can live together, in a loving relationship, without any sexual intimacy, so it’s not that aspect that’s puzzling me. It’s more to do with what happens when he wants another relationship? What happens if he falls in love and wants a civil partnership? I just find it odd that they wouldn’t divorce or even separate now. Sort of feels like prolonging the torture

www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7985405/Oscars-2020-Joan-Collins-exudes-classic-Hollywood-glamour-metallic-gown.html

Daily Mail now running with the Joan Collins story. The press arent going to let this go.

Chocolatedaim probably boils down to maintaining family life for the children's benefit, and business arrangements. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of wealthy couples do this kind of thing.

Just got to say, Joanie's still killing it at the Oscars.

His wife may have been conditioned to put his needs first. I hope someone is there to support her as she comes to terms with a 27 year marriage in which PS could not be fully present... she deserves to put herself first finally.

feelingverylazy

That’s interesting. My husband said something similar about footballers.
It must be so stifling to lead a life full of lies. Totally not my concern but I can’t get my head around why she wants to stay at all.

Just heard what Joan there. It makes sense what she is saying. Yes I notice Piers shuts her down.

Maybe Piers is PS boyfriend? 😆 I jest!!

Fair play to the DM, they get slated a lot but seem to be one of few media outlets asking questions and not gushing about his bravery.

DaisyChain, I disagree. His wife knew from an early stage of their marriage. He was well known many many years ago. More than 15? Possibly 20?

So it was her choice to stay.

The television presenter Phillip Schofield has said he suspected he was gay when he got married 27 years ago, but suppressed his feeling because he was happy.
“I am not saying I didn’t know. Whatever was there, I thought: OK, whatever this is, you stay back because I am happy,” he told the Sun on Sunday in his first interview since revealing he was gay on Friday.
The This Morning presenter added: “I was confused by what it was. I thought maybe I was bisexual. But over time I realised and started coming to terms with it. And I realised I had to be honest with myself. If you ask anyone who is gay, they know – there is no confusion.”

He suspected. He knew he wasn't bi. He knew he was gay.

If yo had your doubts wouldnt you tell your soulmate?

Joan Collins makes me chuckle, she simply said what every one else is asking.

I suspect his wife, although clearly not outwardly supporting him, far from it, she's simply said it's emotional painfully and went to ground, but she is not kicking off is to protect their daughters.

It's one thing for your dad to be gay, it's a whole other thing if he's what the rumours are suggesting, cheating with a member of staff he was in a power position over, who is over thirty years younger than him.

That's going from hero to shamed tv star and career over immediately.

The wife is protecting her kids. And potentially even herself.

Eventually there will be an auto- biography. What his first sexual experience was. When he first had a gay experience. All the men he's slept with during his BBC days, and Joseph days?

It'll all come out eventually.

Well yes, everyone seems to be ‘coming out’ these days...

I voted YABU.

PS is in my age group. When I was 17 I used to accompany a male friend for Electro Shock Therapy to overcome attraction to same sex. He desperately didn't want to be gay. He wanted a "normal" family life - wife, children. He was utterly tormented by it.

We very nearly had sex - he got an erection alright. How do you know Mrs S didn't know all about his orientation but was OK with it?

No-one knows the inner secrets of ANY relationship, so no-one can possibly judge unless an injured party declares that they were utterly deceived.

Wonder when his itv contract is up. Don’t think they’d be keen to keep his profile so high now. Nothing to do with his sexuality but everything to do with his duplicity and sordidness.

@Oblomov20 ok so the drip feeds continue - I haven't been following all the websites - so he even knew when he got married but he was so happy so he decided not to mention it.

Not "I need to be honest and come clean because I'm affecting someone else's life in a massive way ...."

Joan Collins will have seen variations of this played out many times.

*I said on another thread that if the runner had been a 21 year old woman she would be being painted as a gold digger.

So im not surprised to see this thinly veiled implication being levelled at his wife instead*

As well not instead - the 22 year old lad has been called a blackmailer, a long con artist, a nasty little shit, an ambitious twink, a moneygrabber, a lazy gofunder and a wrong 'un...when the poor lad has not been proven to have done anything at all and is still 34 years younger than his ''mentor'' who is old enough to know better than put him in this - or any position.

OMG @Oblomov20 you'll put me off my dinner

NutElla. I hope hes getting support from somewhere.