It’s a Schofield question - don’t click if you’re fed up with it!

[Schofe99]

I know there are lots of other threads. I haven’t found anyone asking/thinking what I am.

I watched the interview. The way he softened when mentioning the young man and emphasised several times that he’s the one he’s most concerned about.

Was it just me thinking WHAT ABOUT YOUR WIFE??? When Amol asked why it was wrong/what he regretted, I assumed he’d say “well, mainly I was unfaithful to my wife. That was wrong. Im so sorry about that.”

And when he was asked about other gay experiences/relationships he shut that down. Which left me thinking, again, WHAT ABOUT BEING UNFAITHFUL TO YOUR WIFE!!!

He’s talked about “us four” before and mentioned it again in the interview. But it’s not ok for him to have all the cosiness and support of a family unit when he’s being unfaithful, surely?

So my AIBU is am I the only one who is seeing this mainly through the eyes of his wife who is watching her husbands infidelity playing out in public? Maybe they’re not sexually intimate and haven’t been for years. But they’re clearly emotionally intimate, spend a lot of time together etc. How UTTERLY GRIM if she didn’t know that her husband was shagging young men. (I really don’t think she did know - I believe him when he says he lied to her).

And it’s fine that he did that, but I have questioned to myself ever since why they still behave like a married couple.

He came out in 2020. This "affair" started in 2018. So he can't claim it happened when he moved out.

I thought his wife has always known he was gay? Is that not right. I feel sorry for her and the DCs that its all been made public, if they all knew and were happy in their family set up, it should have been nobody else's business. With regard to the current carry on, it is all deeply distasteful. I work in HE and a lot of our 20 year old students are nowhere near mature adulthood. When you add in that he had known the person since mid teens it's really gross.

How do you know he doesn't have an open marriage? You are very much playing into the whole his wife being a victim here and maybe she is but she had a choice when he came out to stay married or not. They are separated, live separately, their kids are grown she could divorce him if she wanted to. She would have had tp be incredibly naiive to think he hadn't explored his sexuality.

I did think it was telling he didn't mention her but then I think he's a narcissistic person and all the head tilting was overacting.

If he has then he would have broken the rules of a healthy open marriage on all counts.

If they had an open marriage. This wouldn’t be an affair. He admits it was an affair.

If they had an open marriage and she asked him if he was sleeping with this person, why would he lie? It suggests he was fully aware how inappropriate the relationship was.

PS said she is angry he lied. Why would she be if it was open?

I agree, it’s not sensible to think he isn’t sleeping with men. But I don’t think they are separated. He talks about his marriage in the present tense.

In his latest interview, the former This Morning host said: "I had a wonderful marriage.. have! a wonderful marriage", correcting himself - before proudly flashing up his gold wedding band still on his left hand.
"Not brilliant right now," he added, before praising Steph as being an 'incredibly supportive wife.'

The situation is complex and we don’t know if his wife is a victim of his or if she is happy with their set up. But separated couples, don’t talk like the above.

@ProfessorXtra I think his definition of marriage is quite different to most people's. He did say they were separated.

I agree. He wants to maintain the ‘family man persona’ and also have a life where he is exploring his sexuality and acting like a single man.

Which again, is manipulation and using press/media to your own advantage. No reason to think he didn’t do that with the interview.

She may be fine with it the set up. We don’t know. But I don’t think it’s a huge leap there manipulation involved as well.

I'm unsure what the purpose of the interview was.
I have a degree of sympathy with him (as I did for Harry and Meghan*) under intense media scrutiny and the relentless coverage.

But he says he has support from family and most of his friends and has even acquired new friends. Even if he never worked again he would surely have enough money to live comfortably. Could he not have just hibernated for a few months, and hope there would be more interesting news to take over within a few weeks?
Doing interviews just gives more for people to analyse/talk about? I mean it would be pointless to do an interview if you didn't want people to watch it and react to it?

*not suggesting H and M had the same sort of secrets to confess/discuss

I haven’t seen the interview but it’s so weird. I kind of judge them both for continuing with this circus of a marriage. What purpose does them staying married serve? I don’t think anyone would’ve thought less of him if he’d divorced Steph after coming out.

Also you don’t have a wonderful marriage when you’re harbouring a great big fucking massive secret.

His poor wife.
Watched some of the interview.
He minimises the age difference and says this happens all the time why me? He's a paedophile.

Most people would find it hard to report a brother, though perhaps not Prince Harry. I'm not condoning it, but i understand it.

How is he a pedophile?

Poor wife my arse - she is benefitting every bit from being the adoring wife of a millionaire and was happy to prop his image up for decades, likely knowing what he is like.

I have to agree - that’s a huge decision and I think people don’t realise just how few would actually do it - especially those with a family man reputation to protect.

However…his brother is dead to him NOW HES BEEN CAUGHT but wasn’t the day he confessed his crimes. Convenient.

'Aquired new friends' 😄... yes, like that lovely young Ben Perryman for whom Schofield provided a character reference when Perryman was accused of posting 'revenge porn' relating to a former lover. As the saying goes, you can tell a lot about a man from the company he keeps.

I believe his wife always knew he was gay and it suited them both to be married. There are many financial benefits to being married, particularly when one is a high earner.

After watching his interview I don't believe for a second that he was dropped by his agency. I think it was decided that they would pretend he was dropped and would try to restore his reputation behind the scenes. Them "dropping" him after 35 years turns him into a poor victim, and he is now using that to his advantage. Also throwing in the Caroline Flack reference and insinuating that he is on the verge of killing himself means that a lot of journalists have backed away as they don't want to be the ones with blood on their hands. People are starting to say "hasn't the poor man suffered enough" when in reality this is all completely stage managed by his "former" agency and exactly what they want to happen.

Looking at the company he jointly owns with Stephanie, the registered address changed on 18 March 2023 from 4th Floor, 180 Great Portland Street (the address of his agent) to 180 Great Portland Street (still the address of his agent). Doesn't sound like they have dropped him to me.

Yes thats what I think - that his wife is probably manipulated as well. All are there to supply him in some way. The job is no longer there to boast his ego though and that must feels like a devastation.

It might be strange to you, but presumably not to them. How a couple conduct their marriage is nothing to do with anyone but themselves, and I daresay the posters on this thread would not be at all happy if others started to speculate and pass judgement on theirs. Ditto for people's self esteem.

Honestly, posters on the numerous threads about this subject are nothing more than the modern day equivalent of housewives standing gossiping on their front doorsteps.

For being a sex abuser? I would report anyone who confessed they were a sex abuser. Even my own kids. It's an horrific crime. I certainly wouldn't turn around and say "don't do it again".

I agree that she seemed to be bottom of the pecking order. I hope she finally gathers up her pride and leaves him properly.

Also, I really wanted the interviewer to ask if he made a point of messaging/following teens and helping them onto the showbiz ladder. Would he have done the same for a girl? Or was it just this lad?

It’s a weird setup. I believe his wife has known all along and they led separate lives. If the people he worked with and many others knew he was gay how could she not. There have been rumours about PS swirling for many years. Lets face it he gave her a good life - he was earning a handsome salary and that would have played a part. The interview was a mistake and made him look ten times worse. His arrogance is his downfall which is why he is in this sorry mess.

Totally agree. More the equivalent of the old women knitting at the guillotine or the baying mob at a public execution.

Talk to those who describe their special love with those younger than them. They say exactly the sort of deluded shit he did. It's just a number blah blah blah and minimise the true meaning of how it affects those that can't say no.
He screams someone who uses people for his own sexual and emotional gratification. Whilst saying society is wrong.
So that is why his behaviour has very strong markers of an abuser. The woe is me I am gay is a smoke screen. No one cares about that again he used that for sympathy.

I think it's important to be allowed to speak about on this subject and not be silenced. This is a man who has sanctimoniously sat on a sofa moralizing to us all these years. In our living rooms. Who did he think he was. Who is he? That's what we're exploring. What kind of role model was he. What kind of a life does he live.

Agree Inkanta - he has grilled numerous guests on his program for lesser misdemeanours. Hypocritical behaviour which we are allowed to discuss. Scroll on if it annoys you.