TV Presenter Phillip Schofield Denies Grooming Accusations After Admitting Affair With Colleague

Schofield, who left ITV last week after confirming the relationship, told the Sun, "I did a bad thing: I will die sorry - I've brought the greatest misery into his totally innocent life." The 61-year-old first met the man he had an affair with when he was invited to appear at an event at a drama school.

He said he knew people had found some elements of the story shocking, but added, "I am not a groomer." The affair began when the man was 20 years old and working alongside Schofield at ITV.

"He worked on the show for a bit, and we became mates," Schofield told the newspaper.

"And then one day something happened that just changed it.

And that is the moment I look back on, and regret so deeply." Questions have been raised about ITV's handling of the situation, including how much bosses knew of the affair and whether its own investigation went far enough.

The broadcaster's chief executive, Dame Carolyn McCall, has been asked to attend a parliamentary committee to answer questions about ITV's approach to safeguarding.

Schofield's full interview with the BBC's Amol Rajan, in which he addresses the affair, will be broadcast on Friday morning.

The interview will be available on BBC iPlayer.