Phillip Schofield's daughter hits back at trolls over claims she 'changed' her surname

The 31-year-old said on Instagram she is proud to be a Schofield

Phillip Schofield's oldest daughter, Molly, has defiantly declared she is "proud" to be a Schofield, as she hit back at online trolls over claims she had changed her surname.

The 31-year-old took to Instagram on Monday to share a snap of herself with her dad as the first episode of his three-part Cast Away stint premiered last night on Channel 5 - and she wrote: "Could not be MORE proud".

However, she was quickly forced to come to the defence of her father - and her family name - after one online comment which read: "So if she's so proud of him why does she use her mother's name, and go as Molly Lowe? That's a recent change. She was always Schofield and no doubt was happy to use it."

Molly then shared the comment on her Instagram stories, writing: "I'm Molly Schofield... and proud to be", followed by an emoji of a middle finger.

Both Molly and her sister Ruby, 28, are currently using their dad's surname in their Instagram handles, but there does seem to be some suggestion that last year, after the disgraced presenter was sacked from ITV show This Morning, his daughters both adopted their mum Stephanie's maiden name.

Indeed, when Molly celebrated her milestone 30th birthday last year, just weeks after the scandal unfolded, she appeared to be going by the name Molly Lowe, as reported by Nottinghamshire Live.

However, both girls now appear to be standing by their father, as the both feature in the new mini-series of Cast Away with Phillip Schofield, as does their mother, Stephanie Lowe, 60.

In one scene, during a family barbeque, Molly can be seen opening up about when Phillip came out as gay four years ago, and the impact this had on the family.

She candidly shared: "When my dad came out it was very hard for me. It was very hard for the entire family. Mainly my mum, of course - everything was turned upside down. But we talked through it and [over time] it's got easier.

"My mum and my sister, we're all the same. We'll always continue to support him, no matter what. I never thought it would have gone the way it has."

Molly describes herself as the "luckiest person" to have her parents remain "best friends" after their experiences, and says that everything that has happened has only brought the family closer, reports the Mirror.

She added: "We've seen him at his lowest times, but I've been so proud of him, and as a daughter to see the love that people had for him that when it's taken away it's just heartbreaking."

The first episode of Phillip Schofield's Cast Away was met with mostly scathing reviews, as The Guardian called him a "very bitter man", while The Independent described the episode as "the comeback nobody wanted".