ITV pundit ‘needs Phillip Schofield’, says he is ‘set to make a comeback’

A PR guru says TV executives need Phillip Schofield more than him as the TV presenter looks set to make a return to our screens. Schofield has not been on air since May when she quit This Morning and Dancing on Ice after admitting an affair with a younger colleague.

As well as losing all his television, presenting and public roles, Schofield closed his social media accounts and didn’t post anything until he shared a photo of his dog watching TV earlier this month . The post came shortly after pictures circulated showing Schofield enjoying a night out with friend and colleague Declan Donnelly.

Crisis management expert Edward Coram James, CEO of Go Up, told the Mirror: “It takes serious, serious discipline to remain radio silent for as long as Schofield did. Crucially, his discipline allowed him to get through the crisis without compromising his personal brand. .

“Time and again we see brands built on kindness and gentleness fall apart in times of crisis. Famous faces known for spreading messages of love and tolerance undermined by private reports of bullying. Celebrities famous for their kindness reacting harshly to criticism. Few things can hurt. brand faster than the perception of hypocrisy or the feeling that they have spread a false narrative about who they are and what they stand for.

“Schofield not only managed to navigate his crisis with discipline, he managed to move through it with grace. Kindness to self and kindness to others. Self-kindness came in his disconnection. He didn’t need to see some of the vitriol being written on social media, and what better way to avoid such insults than to be completely unhinged and kind to others, even in his darkest hour, he he has avoided lending a bad word, even to his most vocal detractors he has lost a few feathers, but he is far from escaped”.

He added: “It’s no surprise that Schofield is now considering a comeback and that producers and networks may be lining up to make him job offers. There are many ways Schofield could have reacted that could have cemented his fate for the worse. , his behavior during and after the scandal is a textbook example of how people should act in the face of public relations disaster. It’s a feat that very few manage to achieve, but it gave Schofield a second chance.

Schofield’s Instagram bio now features a quote from The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse. It says, “Nothing beats goodness, it stands quietly behind all things.”

Ed said: “His reborn social media presence serves to highlight everything audiences have ever loved about Schofield.

“It is extraordinarily difficult for people to hold things together in times of extreme stress and adversity. After seeing how Schofield has acted in his time of PR adversity, I honestly believe his new social media strategy isn’t all pretty-sounding words. Instead, they point to a deeply ingrained belief system that he persevered against all odds. We could all learn a lesson from this, and it allowed him not only to weather the storm with his integrity intact: it also sowed the seeds for one. career revival”.

Ed added: “After witnessing the aftermath, there’s every reason to believe he could reclaim his nickname. The TV networks would be crazy to ignore it.

“If they’re going to have even the slightest chance of staying relevant, they’re going to need all the help and pull they can get. ITV needs Schofield far more than Schofield needs ITV”.