This Morning star Phillip Schofield has been seen quizzing a caller about their coming out journey in an unearthed clip, three years before he announced he was gay.
The 57 year old presenter, who’s sexuality was reportedly an “open secret” on This Morning, is seen asking the caller on her experience with coming out as a lesbian in a conversation on the magazine show in 20217.
The caller, known as Nik, phoned in to speak to Phillip and his co-host Holly Willoughby about what she would tell her younger self.
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Speaking to the presenters, she confessed: “I would tell my 18 year old self it's okay to be you. I knew at 18 I was gay.
“I was so ashamed of it, I mean I really can’t tell you how ashamed of it I was. And I went on to get married and have children and it took me till I was 37 to finally admit who I was.”
Phillip then asked: “What happened to your life then?”, before the caller responded: “I left my husband – it was all very amicable. And I met a woman and we're going to celebrate four years of marriage in March and I've never been happier.”
Later in the touching phone conversation which was aired on live TV, Phillip was seen asking: “What about family reaction, how did your family react?”, to which the caller said: “Really well, I think that was my worry.
“If I think about it logically I don't know why because my mum and dad were very cool. And, when I finally came out they were so relieved that I was happy because they always knew there was something wrong.
“And the real topper of it was, my mum died about a year and a half after I met her, so she died knowing I was happy, which was a great thing.”
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Phillip's best friend Holly said: “Oh, thank goodness for that. And, you can't go back and speak to your 18 year old self but there will be lots of people just embarking on this journey, or feeling similar feelings what would you say to them?”
Giving advice to This Morning viewers who may be coming to terms with their sexuality, Nik then said: “I would just say be who you are. Nobody cares. You know I had this thing that everybody would care and people wouldn’t like me and nobody cares. If people care you for you, they just care for you.
“They don’t care who you go out with or who you live with, it makes no difference.”
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To which Phillip then cautiously advised: “Not all families are like yours, though. Some families do care, so you’ve got to be careful how you do something like this.”
The caller then replied: “Absolutely but at the end of the day your happiness is the most important thing. This is where you have to be selfish, you don’t have to rub it in everybody’s faces. But, I strongly believe if people love you, they want you to be happy and if that’s what makes you happy then it shouldn’t matter.”
The historical footage’s unearthing comes after Phillip opened up about his own sexuality in an incredible interview on This Morning.
He was later widely praised by his family and celebrity friends, including his Dancing on Ice pal Ashely Banjo, who called Phillip “an absolute legend”.
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