Phillip Schofield has admitted that the furore surrounding his affair admission has left him “mentally broken”.
The former This Morning presenter shared that “if it hadn’t been for my girls I wouldn’t be here”.
The star, who shares daughters Molly and Ruby with his estranged wife Stephanie Lowe, revealed he has been supported by the pair during the fallout from confessing to his affair with a much younger male ITV colleague.
Speaking in his first interview since his bombshell admission and subsequent resignation from ITV, Phillip told The Sun: “I am in a very bad way. Mentally, utterly, utterly broken.
“And if it hadn’t been for my girls last week I wouldn’t be here.
READ MORE: Holly Willoughby flees UK as she’s seen for first time since Schofield bombshell
“I know I deserve it but they said, ‘Don’t you dare, we’re here to look after you’. I feel embarrassed and ashamed.
“I have just felt like I was going lower and lower and lower and lower. And then, this bizarre, numbness washes over you, like a selfishness.”
The presenter continued: “I’ve had such a s*** couple of years, and with this ultimate final cataclysm, I looked ahead at nothing and the girls said, ‘Don’t, we are here to look after you. Don’t you dare do it on our watch’.
“And that took me one step back and they won’t leave me alone. They were guarding me.”
It comes after Phillip admitted to cheating on his wife Steph, when they were still married, with a younger male ITV runner.
He also confessed to repeatedly lying to his family, friends, and ITV colleagues about the relationship.
Following the admission about his affair, Phillip was dropped by his agent and resigned from all presenting jobs he had with ITV.
Phillip described the affair in a statement as “unwise, but not illegal”.
Phillip insisted to the publication regarding his relationship with the much younger man: “I did not, I did not (groom him).”
The former Dancing on Ice host went on: “There are accusations of all sorts of things. It never came across that way (an abuse of power) because we’d become mates. I don’t know about that.
“But of course I understand that there will be a massive judgment, but bearing in mind, I have never exercised that anywhere else.
Phil also claimed he did not “lie” in a bid to save his career but to protect the identity of his former lover.
If you or someone you know has been affected by this story, Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. Alternatively, you can find more information on the Samaritans website here: https://www.samaritans.org/
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