Phillip Schofield told my colleague Katie Hind last month that he had come to terms ‘with the fact that there was no way back’ for him on television.
His friends are, however, determined to rehabilitate the image of the former ITV star, who quit as a This Morning host after admitting that he had had an affair with a male runner more than 30 years his junior. He had lied about it to his wife, his bosses and his co-presenter Holly Willoughby.
Actor Darren Day, who has known Schofield for more than three decades, tells me that the presenter is a ‘good man’ who is also being supported by Ant and Dec.
‘Phil and I have been mates for a long time,’ Day says. ‘It was a massive career to have taken away. I don’t know the ins and outs, but the Phil that I know is a good man. We were mates and had a lot of fun times together.’
Day, 57, who is starring in Million Dollar Quartet at The Barn Theatre in Cirencester, last saw Schofield at a party also attended by ITV stars Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly.
‘I last saw Phil a few months ago at the house of a very good friend of mine, and Ant and Dec were there,’ he says. ‘We all go back an awfully long way. I’ve known them since 1996.’
Day became friends with Schofield after taking over from him in the leading role in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 1993. When he used to go out with actress Anna Friel, they enjoyed weekends away with Schofield and his wife, Stephanie.
‘We had a good time,’ he says. ‘Anna got on well with them, too. They were there for me and were very good friends.’
Darren Day became friends with Phillip Schofield after taking over from him in the leading role in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 1993
Rivals’ Emily: I’ve banned kids at my wedding
Rivals star Emily Atack, who has a one-year-old son, has banned children from her wedding.
The actress, 36, is due to exchange vows with scientist Alistair Garner, 40, in September, but she’s laid down strict rules for the three-day celebrations in Andalusia, Spain.
‘We’re being kind to our friends and making sure people don’t have to worry too much about paying for lots of things, but we have said no kids at the wedding, no children,’ says Emily, who made her name in teen comedy The Inbetweeners.
Speaking on The Romesh Ranganathan Show podcast, Emily adds: ‘I’m surprised by how many people are happy about that. I thought I’d get a lot of people kicking off, but they’re like no, “f*** those kids”.’ Charming!
Comedian Alan Davies was so disappointed at seeing rain on the first day of a Spanish holiday that he flew straight home. ‘It was a last-minute thing, let’s get some winter sun,’ says the Jonathan Creek star, 60.
‘We got there and it was absolutely p***ing down. I said, “This isn’t any good.” And we went back to the airport and checked into the Radisson at Manchester airport – had a lovely 24 hours.’
Madge’s smelly secret
Rupert Everett starred opposite Julia Roberts in the hit My Best Friend’s Wedding and alongside queen of pop Madonna in the less successful Hollywood film The Next Best Thing.
And both stars left a lasting impression on the actor, 67. ‘I was fascinated that they didn’t use deodorant,’ Everett says at The Delaunay Presents evening at the London restaurant, in support of Denville Hall care home. ‘They were such dominant personalities. It was rather like dogs marking their territory.’
Earl’s wife No4 Cat reveals axe-throwing skills!
Earl Spencer married Norwegian archaeologist Cat Jarman in May. They held the party at Althorp, his family seat in Northamptonshire
Four-times married Earl Spencer needs to watch his back! His new wife, archaeologist Cat Jarman, enjoys hurling dangerous weapons.
‘How do you celebrate your Norwegian wife’s birthday authentically? With an axe-throwing competition… of course,’ jokes Princess Diana’s brother, 62, who gave the party for her 44th at Althorp, his family seat in Northamptonshire.
‘A first time for Althorp House,’ he adds. ‘Cat’s Nordic family were effortlessly good at this – it’s in their DNA, naturally.’
Baby joy for sister of newlywed Phillips
Stephanie, pictured with her husband William Hosier, showed off her bump at Peter Phillips’s wedding in Gloucestershire
Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips, who married NHS nurse Harriet Sperling on Saturday, has something else to celebrate. I hear that his half-sister, Stephanie, is heavily pregnant. ‘She is expecting a baby,’ confirms a friend of the family.
Half-American Stephanie, 28, showed off her bump at Peter’s wedding in Gloucestershire. She’s pictured with her husband, William Hosier. She shares a father, Captain Mark Phillips, with Peter. Her mother is Mark’s second ex-wife, US dressage rider Sandy Pflueger. Like her parents and half-sister Zara Tindall, Stephanie is a keen equestrian.
Meera Syal, who was awarded a damehood in the King’s New Year Honours List, has not yet collected her gong, but she already has plans for how she’ll take advantage of the title.
‘The only time I’m going to use it is on complaint letters and booking restaurants I can’t get into,’ says the star of Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No. 42.
