Phillip Schofield's wife Stephanie speaks out for the first time since the This Morning star came out as gay

The couple have been married for 27 years

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Phillip Schofield's wife, Stephanie Lowe, has broken her silence following her husband's announcement that he is gay.

Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, the pair had a joint interview, where Stephanie spoke for the first time since Phillip came out.

She said, "We have had to face the most emotionally painful time in our 27 years of marriage."

In the discussion, This Morning host Phil appeared to say that he knew he was gay when the couple married 27 years ago, admitting he was 'naive' to think he could suppress his sexuality.

He told the publication, "I am not saying I didn't know. Whatever was 'there' I thought, 'Ok, whatever this is, you stay back because I am happy'.

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"If you ask anyone who is gay, they know – there is no confusion."

Continuing, Phillip revealed that, when he and Stephanie tied the knot in 1993, "I admit I was perhaps a bit naïve. But when we got married it was a joyous time and it wasn't a consideration in my head."

"I was so, so happy when we had the girls, and bringing them up. You never know what is going on in someone's head when you think they are leading the perfect life. And I was. But it was there. I was confused by what it was. I thought maybe I was bisexual.

"But over time I realised and started coming to terms with it, and I realised I had to be honest with myself."

Phillip shared a brave statement on his social media platforms on Friday, sharing the news of his sexuality with the world, before discussing it further on This Morning with Holly Willoughby, Ruth Langsford, and Eamonn Holmes by his side.

In the emotional chat, Phillip praised his wife of 27 years, telling viewers that no one has been more supportive towards him as he came to terms with his sexuality.

"She's amazing, she's incredible", he said, "There's no one in my life who would have supported me more. As a wife the way she's supported me, she's astonishing, literally astonishing."

In their interview with The Sun, Phil also said that he and Stephanie had not yet come to a decision about whether or not to remain married.

Amy Hunt

Amy Hunt is an experienced digital journalist specialising in homes, interiors and hobbies. She began her career working as the features assistant at woman&home magazine, before moving over to the digital side of the brand where she eventually became the Lifestyle Editor up until January 2022. Amy won the Digital Journalist of the Year award at the AOP Awards in 2019 for her work on womanandhome.com.