Richard Madeley slams Phillip Schofield's 'savage and brutal' exit from This Morning as he admits they keep in contact

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Richard Madeley, who formerly hosted This Morning, has revealed he is still in contact with good pal Phillip Schofield who stepped back from all his roles at ITV following a confirmed affair with a younger male colleague.Earlier this year, Phil, 61, admitted to having a romantic relationship with the showrunner and stressed that although his decision was "unwise" it was not "illegal" before stepping down from his role presenting This Morning alongside co-host Holly Willoughby.The revelation shocked the industry after it was confirmed he had lied to various family, friends and colleagues as well as ITV bosses about the affair with Phil now living a quiet life outside the media spotlight.Some people continued to support the star despite the controversial claims, including Good Morning Britain presenter Richard who has slammed his exit from the daytime sofa as "savage and brutal" as he admitted the pals are still in contact.Richard believes he has been treated unduly harshly and remains in touch with the star, according to reports in The Sun, telling the publication he feels "very sorry" for Phil.He said: "It seemed a pretty savage outcome after 21 years (in the job).

It seemed quite brutal to be honest. I took a paternal interest in it - I kept in touch, told him to take it easy and that it’ll be all right."He agreed.

All things pass in the end," he added. "We’ve all been through terrible experiences and the worst ones are the phones that come out of a clear blue sky and you don’t see them coming."Politicians say they’re only one debate away from a catastrophe and it’s the same in our industry."Richard also explained he has no plans to fill the sofa alongside Holly Willoughby, as ITV has yet to fully confirm Phillip's