Phillip Schofield is reportedly starring in ‘top secret’ Channel 5 show, Cast Away, over a year after he departed This Morning.
The TV presenter, 62, has largely remained out of the spotlight since he left the ITV show which he hosted for over 20 years.
He returned to social media in May, exactly a year on from his high-profile exit from the show after he admitted he had lied about having an affair with a younger colleague and amid an alleged feud with his former co-star Holly Willoughby, 43.
He has since kept up with regular posts, including a recent post of him in a sunflower field, saying he was in his ‘happy place’.
As for his media appearances, the father-of-two has only offered two interviews since his shock departure.
But now he is allegedly making his TV comeback in Channel 5 show Cast Away where he will be marooned on an island off Madagascar for ten days.
In a teaser for the show shared to Channel 5 social media, it shows an anonymous man traipsing the coast, with the tagline: ‘One celebrity on a desert island totally alone with one chance to finally tell his story.
According to an insider, Cast Away was the first thing Schofield agreed to after turning down multiple offers over the past few months.
‘This sort of challenge has always appealed to him though and after consulting with friends and family, he decided to go for it. It’s all been top secret, and has been an incredibly quick turnaround in order to keep the news quiet,’ the source told The Sun.
They continued: ‘After 42 years on telly, Phillip has learnt from some great crews and teams on how to film and tell a story.’
The course said viewers can expect ‘tough, emotional viewing’ and ‘another side to him’ that is ‘unedited and honest’.
They also confirmed he was still feeling ‘bruised’ and in no rush to return to TV ‘full-time’ just yet.
Joanna Lumley and Ruby Wax have previously appeared on the show to tell their story.
The emerging reports come after the TV star and Dancing On Ice host teased he had major news coming on his Instagram story.
In a new post to his 2.7million followers Phillip posted a mysterious message onto a black background.
‘Watch this space… 9am,’ he wrote as the caption.
Earlier this year sources claimed that he was planning a comeback and was being encouraged to returned to work.
‘Since he left This Morning, Phil has been held up by the support of friends like Ant, Dec and Alison Hammond,’ one insider told The Sun.
Although TV execs have allegedly contacted Schofield about a possible return, the source added at the time: ‘Phil is still shell-shocked by everything that happened last year and is happy at the moment to focus on rebuilding his life with the support of his friends and family.
Despite not making any career moves for the past several months, it seems Schofield is still making a tidy sum.
According to his accounts on Companies House in May he had gathered an additional £383,266.
Moreover, Schofield’s liquid cash jumped from £847, 034 from paperwork filed until November 30, 2022 to £1,230,300 the following year for the same period, his company Fistral Productions shows.
Earlier this month he was spotted beaming on a lunch date with his daughter Molly and friend Scott Brown while still sporting his wedding ring after separating from his wife four years earlier.
Metro.co.uk has reached out to Channel 5 for comment.
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