Arts & Entertainment

Longtime UK morning host comes out as gay

Published

6 years ago

February 7, 2020

A beloved UK television host has come out as gay, prompting the LGBT equality charity Stonewall to call his revelation a “massive moment” both for him and for society.

Phillip Schofield, a co-presenter of ITV’s “This Morning” who has been married for almost 27 years, on Friday posted a lengthy message on the program’s Twitter account in which he said, “With the strength and support of my wife and my daughters, I have been coming to terms with the fact I am gay.”

He went on to say that his sexuality had been the topic of “many heart-breaking conversations at home,” but that his wife, Steph, and his daughters, Molly and Ruby, have been supportive “despite their own confusion” as he has grappled with an “inner conflict” that “contrasts with an outside world that has changed so much for the better.” He also expressed gratitude to his co-presenter on “This Morning,” Holly Willoughby, for being “so kind and wise,” and saying she had hugged him as he “sobbed on her shoulder.”

“Every day on This Morning, I sit in awe of those we meet who have been brave and open in confronting their truth – so now it’s my turn to share mine,” the 57-year-old Schofield wrote. “This will probably all come as something of a surprise and I understand, but only by facing this, by being honest, can I hope to find peace in my mind and a way forward.”

He closed with a plea for people to be kind, “especially to my family.”

Stonewall subsequently joined followers and fans on social media to offer support and congratulations to the TV star.

Jeff Ingold, head of media for the UK charity organization, said it was a “hugely powerful and courageous move” for Schofield.

He said, “In the first instance, having high profile, visible, out LGBT people can make a massive difference in not just the lives of LGBT people, to you know be able to watch something and see themselves reflected and someone who they identify with, but also for the general public to see and hear the stories of LGBT people can go a long way in changing the way that people see and think and feel about LGBT people as a community.

“It’s a hugely powerful and courageous move Phillip has made to be open about himself, particularly in the public eye at a time when everyone will have an opinion on social media.

“It’s a massive moment I think for him and for society in general.”

Schofield went on Friday’s edition of “This Morning” to open up further about his announcement with Willoughby.

He told her that the decision to go public had not been forced upon him, but that he had come out because “all you can be in your life is honest with yourself and I was getting to the point where I wasn’t being honest with myself and I didn’t like myself very much because I wasn’t being honest with myself”.

He said he felt “lighter,” having made the announcement, while acknowledging that “it causes pain and upset” for his family.

“The thing is you know this has been bothering me for a very long time,” an emotional Schofield said. “Everybody does these things at their own speed, when they think the time is right. It has consumed my head, and has become an issue in my head.”

Willoughby said she could “feel the relief” from her fellow co-presenter, and told him she would stand by him “for ever and ever.”

Schofield first achieved fame in the 1980s as a presenter on Children’s BBC. He went on to host a popular Saturday morning show, “Going Live!,” and he been a presenter on “This Morning” since 2002. He also hosts another popular UK show, “Dancing on Ice.”

Up Next

Gay pop duo drop new song and video, ‘No Prince Charming’

Don't Miss

GLAAD celebrates Black History Month with new ‘Neon’ series

FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

Books

New book reveals what we can learn from animal sex

‘Poking the Squid’ on homosexuality, gender swapping, and more

Published

5 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Book cover image courtesy W.W. Norton)

‘Poking the Squid: What We Can Learn from Animal Sex’
By Perrin Roosevelt Ireland
c.2026, W.W. Norton
$29.99 241 pages

Birds do it.

According to Cole Porter, bees do, too, but it’s not exactly what he imagined. Wild and tame, avians, insects, and mammals all have sex – although not always as you’ve been told or for reasons you might think. Even educated fleas do it and, as in the new book, “Poking the Squid” by Perrin Roosevelt Ireland, humans can learn from them all.

If you read through scientific papers on animal reproduction, you might notice something unusual: for scientists, the word “sex” means a lot of different things.

Says Ireland, “It’s used to describe behaviors, biology, life histories, and more.”

That might be because animals are not simply binary.

Take, for instance, hyenas. It’s easy for the casual observer to mistake a male hyena for a female and vice versa because of stereotypes of anatomy. Mating, for hyenas, requires subordination for the male and a nifty trick on the part of the female’s body to get things done.

Our feathered friends are no birdbrains, either: black-browed albatrosses were once thought to be monogamous but global warming seems to have changed their nesting habits sometimes. Male flamingos have sex with one another, as a territorial thing; other birds and animals form same-sex pairs for other reasons.

The Chinese mantis eats her mate after fertilization. Female snakes, alpacas, guinea pigs, and monkeys are anatomically able to enjoy sex. Genitalia between species varies quite a bit; in fact, the vaginas of ducks “are highly complex.” Lionesses will mate up to 100 times when in heat. Female damselflies will change into a “third sex” to avoid overly aggressive mating males. Bearded dragons can change their sex, if needed, as can yellow clown goby fish. And seahorse pregnancy and birth sparked a book banning in Tennessee.

So, asks Ireland, if animals, including us, vary so much in biology and life, “… why are we using the word sex like it means something, anything, consistent?!”

Pick up “Poking the Squid,” page through it a few seconds, and you’ll see that the information here is largely told through cartoon-like drawings mixed with captions. It seems to be something on the lighter side, but don’t let that artwork fool you.

Author Perrin Roosevelt Ireland offers readers solid information that cozies up to the scholarly, with hard science, philosophy, feminism, and quotations from researchers to support it, thus furthering the narrative and hitting the points squarely. If you see the art and expect something lighthearted, comic, and small-talk-worthy, you could be disappointed.

On the other hand, if you want solid, wryly serious facts, you’re in for a treat.

There’s lots of learning to be gleaned here, and some slight nudge-wink whimsy to emphasize the absurdity of wrong-headed thinking. This can make readers feel like they’re in-the-know on the jokes, and the playfulness balances the seriousness of the information well.

So, serious, scholarly, or slightly silly, none of these are negative but you’re going to know what you want from a book like this. For the right reader, someone in the mood, “Poking the Squid” is wild.

The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.