Former This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield's unanticipated return to TV has divided the nation after he revealed he took part in Channel 5's Cast Away.
This week, the star - who last year quit his role at ITV after admitting to an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a much younger colleague - revealed he starred in Channel 5 series Cast Away, bringing an end to his quiet 16-month absence from TV and awards shows.
The three-episode series follows the former Dancing on Ice co-host as he's stranded on a desert island off the coast of Madagascar for 10 days. They will be left alone to document their own experience using a variety of cameras. The synopsis for the show read: "The famous face has to confront the challenges of total isolation, the forces of nature, and the battle within their own mind."
On Wednesday morning, Phillip announced the news by sharing images of himself filming for the show and told his followers: "Now you know how I spent my Summer! Alone for 10 days, no food, no water, no crew. My story of survival, both on a desert island and off it," before announcing the release date.
While his followers may have loved the news, many of his former ITV colleagues weren't so sure of his return...
Eamonn Holmes
After the news came out, Eamonn Holmes - who hasn't been shy about his dislike for the presenter - had a very telling reaction. When his affair was exposed, Eamonn was quick to take to social media and fume: "Schofield has finally been caught out" and branded ITV "The ministry of lies."
He also said that he and his former wife Ruth Langsford had been "taken for fools" by Schofield after comforting him life on TV when he came out as gay. Eamonn said he had "felt used and ashamed" after his ITV colleagues had lied to him as he hit out at them on social media.
On his GB News Breakfast show with Isabel Webster, the stars looked less than impressed with Phillip's return to TV. "Is this not just the chance for a narcissist to have more me time on screen?" fumed GP Dr Renee Hoenderkamp. She added: "I don't want to know his story, I'm not interested in it. I know that he's a celeb and people do seem to lap up any news, whether it's good or bad but I think it's time maybe he stayed on the island."
Meanwhile, former Home Office Minister Norman Baker fumed: "So what? I don't want to know about it, I'm not interested in it. Why is The Sun giving two pages to it? I suppose it sells papers but really, is that the most important thing in the papers?" Isabel interrupted adding: "Well, he was one of our most high-profile presenters in the country, he was married and he had two children when the scandal emerged, he lost all of his TV work including Dancing On Ice, he fell out with his one time best friend and co-host Holly Willoughby, who also quite frankly, didn't she lose her job off the back of it all?" Isabel added that Schofield "had to leave social media" in the wake of his scandal.
"My heart bleeds," fumed Baker, while Eamonn let out a little chuckle. The broadcaster was heard adding: "Very good."
Nadia Sawalha
Loose Women star Nadia Sawalha was quick to react to Phillip's news on her Coffee Moaning podcast, which she hosts with her husband Mark Adderley.
Nadia explained her thoughts on the new show and said: "[The trailer] was popping onto phones all over the place yesterday and everyone was aghast. When I was first sent it, there was no message with it, so I thought it was a joke." She added: "I just couldn't believe it." She further commented: "First of all, I cringed. If I'm honest, I absolutely cringed when I saw that video. I thought 'That is so embarrassing'. That was my first feeling."
When one person shared that they were keen to hear Phillip's "side of the story," Nadia responded: "That's interesting because I feel he's told his side of the story. I feel like we've only heard his side of the story because he did that great big spread in the Sun [and another interview]."
Nadia answered another person who claimed that Phillip purposely rocked the unshaven look to evoke sympathy from fans. Nadia said: "He's also very clever so I think he understands an audience and I think he knows how to speak to an audience. So I think, yes, he'll be very, very careful." Later on in the podcast, she shared: "He lied to everybody at work. He left people to deal with his s**t, I feel, in my opinion."
Vanessa Feltz
Vanessa Feltz, who was a regular guest on ITV and had been pals with Phillip for years, hoped the series would bring him peace. Vanessa said: "I'm surprised but delighted, and I hope it's great entertainment, and I hope that he achieves from it whatever he wants to achieve."
Talking to The Sun on behalf of online bingo site Heart Bingo, she added: "I'd like to see it, I'm intrigued to see it and I wish him all the very best." Although she divulged that the kind of show he has chosen for his comeback has come as a shock. She continued: "No, not at all. I see why he would have chosen it, although it's not what I would have expected. It seems to me that he would have autonomy over it, he is the only person in it, he was the only person filming it."
Vanessa added that the concept of "Just him and a camera for 10 days," left her thinking that "he would have felt as if he could orchestrate it," and that it "would be authentic, nobody would manipulate him, he wouldn't sort of end up on the cutting room floor because he was the person actually making the film."
Meanwhile, the news he shared on Instagram didn't go down well with his celebrity pals as only two famous faces close to Phillip appeared to like his news - Dermot O'Leary, Alison Hammond and Josie Gibson. Comments on the post had been turned off. There was no sign of his former close friend Holly Willoughby supporting him after he posted the announcement.
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