Phillip Schofield has experienced numerous personal and professional hurdles in the past few years. From his highly publicised departure from This Morning to the fallout over his affair with a younger colleague, the former TV presenter has been through a lot. In the same month that he was dropped from This Morning, Schofield also had to witness his brother Timothy being sentenced to 12 years in jail for several sexual offences.
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During these tough times, Schofield always had the support of his mother, wife, and daughters. In his latest reality TV series Cast Away, which was heavily criticised online, the 62-year-old opened up about everything he went through.
Phillip Schofield announces the death of his mother
Amidst all this, another layer of heartache has been added for Schofield as he announced the death of his mother, Pat, aged 88, this week. In October 2024, Phillip Schofield took to Instagram to share the sad news of his mother’s passing.
In his heartfelt post, he described his mother, Pat, as ‘magnificent’ and shared that she passed away peacefully after what he described as a ‘heartbreaking weekend.’ He wrote:
Today, at 3pm and after a heartbreaking weekend, my magnificent mum decided it was time to go to her beloved Brian.
Over three days, we held her, loved her, hugged her and said everything that needed to be said. She was calm, peaceful, beautiful and dignified. I’ll forever be proud and privileged she was my mum. I love you mum, forever.
He did not go into further detail about the cause of his mother’s death. Phillip had been by her side for several months as his high-flying career crumbled.
Phillip Schfoield’s close bond with his Mother
The death of his mother is understood to be extremely painful for Phillip due to the close bond they shared. She had been there for him during some of the most challenging moments of his life, including his resignation from This Morning.
In fact, after stepping down from his long-time presenting role, Phillip openly spoke about how his mother had been his rock throughout the fallout of his affair scandal, reports Yahoo!.
When he came out as gay to her, she reportedly told him, 'I don’t care,' and publicly praised him as ‘brave’ and ‘inspiring’ for coming out. She told The Mirror:
The first thing I said was, "I don't care." Yes it was a shock but nothing as a family that we can't support and applaud.
In his 2020 book Life's What You Make It, Schofield stated that he took after his mother, who was also a ‘fire sign’ with a ‘fiery temper.’ He shared that, growing up, he would often wind her up to see her fiery temper but added:
Life is much calmer these days and my mum is my wise rock.
According to MailOnline, Schofield’s mother had different tastes in TV than him, but regardless, supported his decision to get into showbiz. In his autobiography, Schofield stated that his mother had a ‘daredevil streak’ like him, and at the age of 81, went wing walking.
Read more:
Phillip Schofield allegedly accused Holly Willoughby of betrayal: ‘You brought me down’
Phillip Schofield's company reportedly got £400k boost despite his scandal
Phillip Schofield: Here's how family helped the presenter through a very difficult year
Sources used:
BBC: Phillip Schofield announces the death of his mother
Yahoo!: Heartbroken Phillip Schofield's bond with late mum who was always there for him
Daily Mail: How Philip Schofield's mother supported him after he come out as gay and weathered ITV scandal as disgraced presenter's loving parent passes away
