Phillip Schofield ‘returns’ to TV five months after leaving This Morning as he makes surprise appearance in Netflix series

Phillip Schofield has made a surprise ‘return’ to TV screens five months after he sensationally left This Morning.

The TV presenter, 61, resigned from the ITV programme for having an ‘unwise but not illegal’ relationship with a young male runner earlier this year. 

Phillip has made an unexpected return to the small screen as he makes an appearance in Netflix series Who Killed Jill Dando? 

The three-part show follows the murder of Crimewatch journalist Jill Dando who was shot outside her home in Fulham on April 26 1999.

In the documentary, Phillip appears on This Morning alongside his now former co-host Holly Willoughby in an episode that aired on the 23rd anniversary of her death.

Shock: Phillip Schofield has made a surprise ‘return’ to TV screens five months after he sensationally left This Morning

Scandal: The TV presenter, 61, resigned from the ITV programme for having an ‘unwise but not illegal’ relationship with a young male runner earlier this year

In the clip, Holly says: ‘What happened that morning remains a mystery, the crime unsolved, her killer never held to justice.’ Phil remained silent alongside her. 

It comes after Phillip was seen in good spirits and cracking a smile as he walked into a London hotel with a mystery man on Tuesday. He could be seen carrying In Memoriam by Alice Winn. 

There has been speculation as to who will take over Phillip’s role of co-host at ITV’s flagship daytime programme after he resigned for having an ‘unwise but not illegal’ relationship with a young male runner earlier this year.

ITV bosses have been attempting to find Ms Willoughby a more permanent sidekick, with Alison Hammond, Dermot O’Leary, Rylan Clarke and Josie Gibson also contending for the role.

But management are reportedly eyeing up Good Morning Britain host Ben Shephard, who impressed when he stood in on the This Morning sofa last week.

Sources say Ben, 48, is ‘frontrunner’ to replace Phillip in the role after he stood in earlier this week.

Ben, who was previously a stand-in presenter on This Morning, covering for Schofield between 2005 and 2011 – impressed the network’s senior executives when he appeared on the show.

Initially This Morning was going to be built around Holly with rotating co-hosts, as GMB is with Susanna Reid, but now bosses have changed their minds and want someone they can team her with most days.

Cameo: Phillip has made an unexpected return to the small screen as he makes an appearance in Netflix series Who Killed Jill Dando

Series: In the documentary, Phillip appears on This Morning alongside his now former co-host Holly Willoughby in an episode that aired on the 23rd anniversary of her death

A source told the Mail: ‘Ben did really well and the bosses loved his partnership with Holly and there was great feedback from many viewers.

‘Ben is known throughout ITV as being very popular with the audiences of whatever shows he hosts. He is also trusted by the public and is much loved within ITV. He has hosted so many shows for the channel.

‘He and Holly go back years too – he presented on This Morning some years ago and they have a great rapport.’

It was revealed last month that the This Morning scandal could be made into a ‘jaw-dropping’ drama series. 

The production company behind the series thinks Channel 4 would be a ‘perfect fit’, a source told The Sun.

They said: ‘The storyline will reflect what went on. People have seen it from the outside but the drama will give a perspective on what may have occurred behind-closed-doors.’

The shamed star stepped down from presenting the daytime show after 21 years when he admitted he repeatedly lied to bosses about having an affair with a runner.

Phillip – who called the relationship ‘unwise, but not illegal’ – cheated on his wife Stephanie with the young male colleague.

Replacement: Management are reportedly eyeing up Good Morning Britain host Ben Shephard to replace Phillip on This Morning

The tryst was kept secret for years until he admitted to The Mail on Sunday he had lied about it having been just rumours.

He went on to confess he had misled his employer ITV, his colleagues, his friends and his then agents at the management firm YMU.

READ MORE HERE: Ben Shephard is set to replace Phillip Schofield as Holly Willoughby’s partner on This Morning

In an extraordinary series of mea culpa interviews he apologised for all of the hurt he had caused.

It sparked an extraordinary domino effect for the show and ITV, with Holly having to issue a statement saying she knew nothing about it.

But Phillip insisted he had not ‘groomed’ the man, despite first meeting him when he was 15.

And he went on to declare: ‘Attraction is attraction. It’s no different in the gay world as it is in the heterosexual world or in the lesbian world.

‘There shouldn’t be a difference. This is where homophobia comes in.

‘We did first meet when he was 15, I visited the drama school [he attended].’

In a hard-hitting emotional interview with the BBC’s Amol Rajan, Schofield said his two daughters – Molly, 29, and Ruby, 27 – had saved his life.

He said the fallout from his admission that he lied about his affair with a younger male colleague had been ‘relentless’, revealing he has had suicidal thoughts.

Schofield said: ‘My girls saved my life. They said last week they haven’t left me for a moment. They’ve been by my side every moment because they’re scared to let me out of their sight. What is that like for daughters to have to go with something like that?

‘And they said to me, ‘don’t you dare do this on our watch. We’re supposed to be looking after you’. If my girls hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be here, because I don’t see my future.’

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