Phillip Schofield gives Ant and Dec shout out as he discusses brutal shunning from TV

Phillip Schofield was spectacularly dropped from his ITV commitments after decades of working with the company following the news of his 'unwise but not illegal' affair with a much younger colleague

Phillip Schofield has given Ant and Dec a shout out when referencing his brutal treatment following the news of his fling with a younger man.

The star, who last year quit his role at ITV after admitting to an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a much younger colleague - revealed he starred in Channel 5 series Cast Away, bringing an end to his quiet 16-month absence from TV and awards shows. The series is self-recorded without a camera crew or production team, and is filmed fully on handheld camera and body camera, with a sound pack.

The former This Morning host was forced to leave his spot on the show, that he had hosted with real life best friend Holly Willoughby. But as he reveals in the three-parter, he was axed from his job by ITV, and didn't resign. In one scene, he appears to burn his bridges with his former employer, where he worked for decades on multiple shows.

Phillip addressed rumours he will be heading into the jungle for ITV's I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and even gave Ant and Dec a shout out, calling them his 'best mates'.

Speaking on the documentary, he revealed: "I'm apparently 4/1 to do the other jungle programme (ITV’s I’m A Celebrity). Although my best mates host it, there are some channels you just won’t work for. There are just some people you won’t work for."

‌He also appears to make a dig at his former co-host of 13 years and ex-best mate Holly Willoughby, who severed ties with Phillip during the scandal, before briefly returning to This Morning solo.

Speaking in the three-part show, which starts on Monday, he said: "When you throw someone under a bus, you’ve got to have a really bloody good reason to do it."

He also seemed to mock Holly's speech on This Morning, following his departure, where she opened the show with a cringeworthy phrase, asking viewers: "Are you OK?" In Phillip's documentary, he can be seen having a family barbecue, with his wife Stephanie Lowe and their two daughters, Molly, 31, and Ruby, 28. He hands food over, and says: "If you’re OK, then we’re OK, and I’m OK . . . are you OK?"

In a thinly veiled commentary on the recent saga, and Phillip's subsequent 'cancelling', he is asked if he thought about quitting the deserted island, near Madagascar. He said: "It is inconceivable that I would quit. I don’t quit. I’m fired. But I never quit."

They will be left alone to document their own experience using a variety of cameras. The synopsis for the show read: "The famous face has to confront the challenges of total isolation, the forces of nature, and the battle within their own mind."

On Wednesday morning, Phillip announced the news by sharing images of himself filming for the show and told his followers: "Now you know how I spent my Summer! Alone for 10 days, no food, no water, no crew. My story of survival, both on a desert island and off it," before announcing the release date.

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