Phillip Schofield in tears as he reveals how close he came to taking his own life

Phill texted his daughter Molly while he was planning his suicide and she begged him to think about what his actions would do to his family. It was those texts that saved him.

Phillip Schofield was visibly moved to tears on his new desert island TV show as he opened up about the depths of his struggles after departing from This Morning. The beloved former ITV presenter shared the "dark" times he faced and how his daughters, Molly and Ruby, were instrumental in pulling him back from the brink.

As he makes his return to television on Channel 5 next week, he recounted, fighting through tears: "In the last 18 months it got as dark as it is possible to get.

"A year ago I got so so close. I had everything in place, everything was set up and everything was ready and it was Molly that was looking after me, Molly and Ruby (daughters) both looking after me at the time and Molly said do you imagine what this would do to us if you actually managed to pull this off."

Schofield continued: "Can you imagine what would happen and can you imagine what it would do to me if you did this on my watch. And that was enough just to take a step back from the edge. And I could have been hospitalised, I had the option to be hospitalised but I just thought that is going to get out so I raced to the family home."

Now 62, Schofield, who publicly came out as gay in February 2020, reflected on the experience, noting that while coming out is often seen as freeing, for him it has caused more pain than happiness. He expressed his feelings candidly: "I'm very proud of what I did, and I know that coming out for many people is liberating....but for me doing it later in life, at the moment it's just given me more anguish than joy because I am fully aware of the damage that is leaves."

Phillip Schofield has opened up about spending a significant part of his later years battling sadness. His daughter Molly shared the family’s struggles, saying: "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 it got easier.", reports the Mirror.

Before setting sail for Madagascar to film Phillip Schofield: Cast Away, Schofield enjoyed a barbecue with his wife Stephanie and their daughters, signifying a reconciliation after his admission of an "unwise, but not illegal" affair that contributed to his departure from television.

At one point, he even poked fun at his ex-colleague Holly Willoughby by echoing her words with: "If you're okay, then we're okay and I'm Okay. Are you okay? " This question mirrors what Willoughby asked the audience following Schofield's exit from This Morning. He also voiced reluctance to return to ITV or work in certain conditions, hinting at industry boundaries before his potential stint on I'm A Celebrity, commenting: "Although my best mates host it, there are some channels you just won't work for. There are some people you won't work for."

Viewers will hear from Phillip Schofield's wife, Stephanie, who appears to have remained amicable with him. Stephanie remarked: "What people don't realise if that they batter you but then there are other people affected."

She also expressed: "There's no question by doing this you're popping your head back up above the parapet for the very few horrid people that there are out there."

Their daughter Molly commented on the family's bond, saying, "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."

Schofield, still sporting his wedding band on-screen, added, "Some families can adapt, some families can't. Without them I wouldn't be here. I still have the love of my family. Never wavered."

The series begins with Schofield explaining his reason for tackling the ordeal of surviving alone on an island, quipping, "I think there'd be an awful lot of people that hope I never come back."

The veteran presenter reflected on his extensive career in children's TV, theatre, and notably on This Morning alongside Holly Willoughby, as he pondered whether "ultimate isolation can finally set me free" or if he would be "consumed by my inner demons". He expressed that working on This Morning was a "joy" and a "privilege", acknowledging how fortunate he has been throughout his over forty-year television career, which came to an abrupt halt in 2023.

"When it came to a sudden very abrupt end, you know one minute you're there and then the next minute you're gone, you know what it feels like to be cancelled," he remarked. He described the experience as "It's like the biggest grenade going off in your life, and you know you let people down, you've let yourself down, and it was unwise and (an) unprofessional thing to do, I will be forever sorry, I screwed up, I made a mistake, and I hurt the people around me."

Despite struggling to catch fish, he managed to sustain himself on crustaceans and fruit, noting: "Every day I just feel my toxicity tanks emptying out. All the s*** along the way."

However, his apologies are not without reservation, as he also stated: "When you throw someone under the bus you've got to have a really bloody good reason to do it."

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