Phillip Schofield’s Cast Away LIVE: Shamed star opens up on This Morning axe as he goes skinny dipping
PHILLIP Schofield has returned to TV, 16 months after he was fired from This Morning over what he called an “unwise, but not illegal” affair.
The 62-year-old, who stopped presenting the ITV daytime show in May 2023 after 21 years, is appearing on the Channel 5 special Cast Away, which follows a celebrity stranded on an island off the coast of Madagascar for 10 days.
During the final episode, Phillip said goodbye to the island but not before opening up about the moment he was sacked from ITV.
Phil said he had "written a list of everyone who was toxic” and burnt it on a fire.
Viewers also watched as the former This Morning star stripped completely naked and jumped in the sea.
You can follow our live blog below for all the latest updates ...
Toxic mates
For his final fire on the island, Phil has written a list of everyone who was toxic and burns it in a poignant moment.
"There are people you would hope would be around and they're not and you shed that skin," he says.
'There's a lot of freedom in not giving a s***'
"There is a lot of freedom in say what you want, do what you want, honestly I don't give a s***," shares Phil as he walks the beach for the last time.
"Life is beautiful."
Feeling feral
Phil reveals he hasn't washed his hair in 10 DAYS.
"I'm absolutely filthy and I have no idea what to do about this - I've never in my life had this much facial hair."
' I wasn't fired from This Morning when I admitted lying, it was before'
Phil reveals that he was fired a week before he revealed his affair.
He tells: "About a week later, I blew my own wheels off. I thought the only way to begin to put this right for everybody, is to do a full mea culpa."
Phil admits that he "came clean about his affair", saying: "What people don't realise is, I wasn't fired from This Morning when I admitted lying, it was before, because of someone I used to call brother."
The moment Phil was sacked
Phillip recalls the exact moment his agent rang to tell him he had been 'sacked' from This Morning
"Everything came to a head the day before he was sentenced, my phone rang and I picked it up," Phil says.
"'Mate are you somewhere quiet?', which is never a good sign."
Phil was then told that he was let go from This Morning.
He adds: "Why would I be sacked for something that someone else did. I had just been fired because of him.
"I was becoming more of a story than the programme. It was better for the show, better for the programme."
Heartbreak for Phil
Phil opens up about his family member's crimes and the devastating moment he broke it to his beloved mother.
Phil opens up
Phil says: "There is a member of my family, who I refuse to name who committed a heinous crime. I had absolutely no qualms whatsoever about shopping him.
"We were praised by the police and we got justice done."
Phil's safety
Phil jumped out of bed and stamped on all the edges of his camp as he frantically put-out the fire.
The star looks like he's close to tears.
It's been a tough morning for Phil.
Camp on fire
As Phil was sleeping, disaster struck.
He says: "My star fire swept out of control and set my camp ablaze."
Day Seven
Phil is left panicked and is forced to use his "emergency walkie talkie" after hearing a "cat" noise.
He's advised to have his primary cutting tool and radio with him at all times.
A terrified Phil yells: "What the f***."
The former ITV star is convinced he can hear a noise and is prepares himself for a restless sleep...
Security measures
Phil is forced to increase his security around his living area.
He says: "There is just this element of extra wariness."
He is not alone....
Danger Island
Phil spots paw prints on the beach.
A petrified Phil is worried something is on the loose.
He tells the camera: "They will get me in my sleeping bag," before quipping: "Let's hope it's nothing for an appetite for cancelled TV presenters".
Contemplation time
An emotional Phil ponders on life in and out of the island.
He admits he's been forced to "evaluate" his life recently and to "pick himself up".
He said: "These things are unexpected turns, they come out of the blue and I'm used to that.
"You have a disappointment, you have a think and you re-evaluate.
"Okay, I've had my down moment...pick yourself up."
Phil issues a defiant message, saying he "will find a way".
The star adds: "I will not be defeated."
Fishing for success
Life on the island is proving a challenge for Phil - after catching just ONE fish during his time.
Phil continues to struggle after the handle falls off the reel.
Oh dear Phil!
Final stretch
Phil has finally made it to the baobab tree and after spending 45 minutes, he eventually cracked open a cocoanut.
Feeling the starvation, Phil admits he's feeling "utterly and completely exhausted".
Will he be able to keep it together?
Finding a way forward
After spending 24 hours alone for four days.
Phil has been tested to "unimaginable lengths" and his "solitude has opened old wounds".
But Phil admits being alone has given him the "clarity" he has been seeking.
Phil's fears
Phil reveals why he thinks viewers will be tuning in, saying: "I think there will be an awful lot of people who hope that I never come back."
The final episode of Cast Away airs in just 15 minutes!
The final episode in Phillip Schofield's TV comeback is about to air, as the former This Morning presenter takes on an island escape to reflect on his life, career, and past controversies.
The synopsis reads: “Phillip discovers that the island is offering security and freedom he hasn’t known for years. As he prepares to leave, he finally finds peace from the past, but will the controversy of 2023 ever let him go?”
And at the end of last night’s episode… we got a sneak peek of what's to come, with Phil revealing he's written a list of everyone who was toxic.
Don’t miss the drama – tune in at 9pm on Channel 5!
Credit: PA Phil's final island day
As he prepares to leave, Phil finally finds peace from the past, but will the controversy of 2023 ever let him go?
In pictures - Cast Away
Credit: PA 
Credit: Channel 5 
Holly snub’s Phil’s big return
Holly Willoughby chose a night out in London over supporting her former This Morning co-star Phillip Schofield’s return to television.
While Schofield’s highly anticipated comeback aired, Holly appeared eager to share her excitement about the Abigail’s Party show at the Theatre Royal in Stratford.
She posted a photo of the venue’s exterior, lit up with neon lights, clearly enjoying the evening — and making no attempt to hide the fact that she was out and about while the first episode of Phil’s return aired on TV.
Holly Willoughby skipped Phillip Schofieldâs return to TV for a night out with former EastEnders actress Tamzin Outhwaite
Phillip Schofield blames brother for ITV ‘dismissal’
Phillip Schofield has been accused of lying about being sacked by ITV during his new TV series, Cast Away.
In the three-episode show, which concludes tonight, Schofield claims his brother was the reason he was “fired” from his high-profile roles on This Morning and Dancing on Ice.
His brother, Timothy Schofield, was convicted in April 2023 of 11 sexual offences involving a child, including emotionally blackmailing the victim into sex acts.
However, according to , ITV insiders are highly refuting the claims, saying: “Phillip’s new comments are simply untrue, heis lying again.”
Instead, they claim he quit when the fallout of the conviction – combined with his “unwise but not illegal” affair with a 19-year-old runner on This Morning – became too much.
‘Coming out as gay brought more anguish than joy’
“Freedom on a plate”. That is how Phillip Schofield described coming out as gay.
However, he says it has also brought him “more anguish than joy”.
His daughter admits it was a tough time but that ultimately, it has brought them closer together.
She has even described Phil and his wife Stephanie as “best friends”.
Kerry Katona dishes on Schofield’s return
Kerry Katona didn’t mince words about Schofield’s comeback attempt, criticising the "tone-deaf" presenter and suggesting he could end up on Celebrity Big Brother.
In her , Kerry wrote: “If I’m honest, I think it’s a really self-indulgent move to have him alone on a desert island, playing the pity card,” she said.
“He talks about living with absolutely nothing on this island, but then he goes back to his big house, wealth and home comforts. I think it’s really tone-deaf.”
However she added she was “obviously going to watch” the show, and hoped to be cast on Celebrity Big Brother alongside him.
“Big Brother, if you’re casting, please put us in – I’d be brutally honest with him,” she added.
Phillip Schofield opens up over his ITV departure
Phillip Schofield has vowed never to return to daytime television after saying he was “axed” from This Morning, rather than quitting.
Last year Phil admitted to an ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a young runner on This Morning.
His deceit subsequently led to his departure from the show he had fronted with Holly Willoughby, before eventually quitting ITV altogether.
Speaking on Cast Away, he said: “Look, I love telly. I’ve got telly in my bones.
“But I won’t sit on a sofa again. I’m not going to do that again.
“And there are some people I won’t work for again. Some people I won’t work with again.
“I’ve been hurt so badly by that sort of telly that you get to the point where you think ‘I don’t want to do it anymore’.”
Credit: ITV
