Piers Morgan has shared the messages he sent to Phillip Schofield after the presenter came out at gay earlier this month.
On 7 February, This Morning co-host Phil, who has been married to wife Steph for 27 years, released a statement on his Instagram story, sharing that he is ‘coming terms to the fact that he is gay’.
Now Piers has opened up on the support he gave Phillip – while also bringing up the fact he ‘missed’ that detail about his sexuality when the GMB host wrote a biography on the TV stalwart back in the day.
That would be 1992’s To Dream A Dream: The Amazing Life Of Phillip Schofield, for those playing at home.
Sharing the message he sent Phillip after the news was released, Piers said he wrote to the presenter: ‘”You must be feeling a little discombobulated…But never has the phrase ‘better out than in’ seemed more appropriate. Honesty is always the best policy in matters of the heart”.’
Piers, writing for his Event magazine column, said Phil replied: ‘”Discombobulated is definitely the right word!…It wasn’t easy but for the first time in a long time, I feel a little lighter of the heart.”’
But for Piers there was always another side to things – as he revealed he joked with Phil about rewriting that aforementioned tome.
He wrote: ‘”By the way,” I responded, “is it too soon for me to rush out an updated version of my seminal tome about your life?”
‘”Go for it!” he said, “though you might need to rewrite the end…”’
Piers had previously supported Phillip, as he tweeted to commend his pal’s honesty when he came out, writing: ‘Takes a lot of guts to do this, not least when you’re a very public figure & know it will all be dissected in a very public way. Sending my very best to @schofe & his family.’
Speaking on Good Morning Britain about the pivotal moment in Phillip’s life, Piers explained their friendship dated back to the days he wrote the book on all things Schofe during the star’s 90s stint in Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
Piers also defended his friend from the backlash surrounding Phil and his family, with many saying it was unfair to Steph, Phil’s wife of 27 years, and their two daughters, for keeping it a secret.
‘At the end of the day, all that really matters are him and his family,’ Piers said. ‘If his family have accepted this and are moving along with their lives and can deal with it, actually what everyone else thinks, or wants to gossip about it, it’s neither here nor there.’
Got a showbiz story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE: Piers Morgan forced to block ‘abusive trolls’ after paying tribute to Caroline Flack
