Caroline Flack’s mother Christine has spoken out after Phillip Schofield compared himself to her late daughter.
The 61-year-old has been receiving backlash from a host of well-known faces as well as the general population after admitting to having an affair with a younger man.
The TV personality confessed he had lied about the relationship to ITV, his agents at YMU, his friends, his colleagues and The Mail on Sunday – which published the story last month.
In a new broadcast interview with The UK Sun, Phillip broke his silence for the first time since admitting to the affair.
The 61-year-old said: “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.”
“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.”
“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.”
Phillip then admitted that he thinks he knows how Caroline Flack felt.
The beloved Love Island host was found dead at her home in London on February 15, 2020 at the age of 40.
She tragically took her own life just hours after she was told she would face trial for the alleged assault of her then-boyfriend Lewis Burton – despite the fact that he didn’t want to press charges.
In a new interview with BBC Newsnight, Caroline’s mother Christine said: “Every day she would try to be a bit stronger, which I should imagine Phillip is. But you get more and more thrown at you.”
“It’s not only him, it is his daughters. Luckily he’s got them there for support… Everybody suffers – but not as much as him.”
“I hope he’s done the right thing. I hope he feels better. I hope people now will let it settle. He’s lost his job, he’s lost his world. I think that’s enough for anybody.”
Christine also revealed her belief that ITV could be doing more to protect their employees, saying: “They treat them as commodities. I know it’s a lovely job and they earn money. But also the television stations earn money from them.”
Christine continued: “But they’re not commodities, they’re people. And they’re employed. And if my employer didn’t take care of me, there’d be all hell to pay. And there’s not. They’re just sidelined, and they’re not protected.”
“They could have someone speaking for him really, whether he did right or wrong.”
“Wait to see what happens. Let’s hope for the best. I send my regards to Phillip and the young lad, and hope they get over this. Don’t do anything silly.”
ITV have since released a statement, which reads: “The relationships we have with those we work with are based on trust. Phillip made assurances to us and his agency which he now acknowledges were untrue and we feel badly let down.”
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