PHILLIP Schofield’s wife Stephanie Lowe is said to have a very emotional reason for not divorcing the star. Stephanie has loyally stood by her husband even when he came out as gay three years ago. And despite his admission that he had an affair with a much younger colleague, Phillip, 61, has insisted he and Stephanie, 59, “have a wonderful marriage”.
Despite separating, a source revealed to OK! that Stephanie still loves Phillip, and does not want to see him “fall any further.” “Whatever Phillip has done behind Steph’s back, she still loves him,” the insider shared at the end of last year “Even if the love they shared in the beginning of their marriage is different to what it is now, the love is still very much there.” “Steph is, and always will be, Phillip’s support system,” the source added.”She hasn’t divorced him because she doesn’t want to see him fall any further.”
Although they separated when Phil announced he was gay in 2020, he has continued to wear his wedding band – as a symbol of their commitment. Speaking during an interview with BBC journalist Amol Rajan, Phil waved his ring as he insisted: “I had a wonderful marriage, have a wonderful marriage, although it’s not brilliant right now, with an incredibly supportive wife and two wonderful children.” Somewhat confusingly, he added: “We are separated but we are very much together.”
Revealing the moment he told his wife about the affair, Phil told the BBC: “Oh my god, can you imagine how difficult that conversation was?” “Let’s just say it was an incredibly difficult conversation. The most difficult conversation I’ve ever had to have with her, and she is extremely disappointed because I lied to her as well. But she wished me well today, and so we’ll see.” In an interview with The Sun, Phil said of his wife when he told her the truth: “She was very, very angry.”
Stephanie and Phillip’s friendship started in 1989 when Phil was 25 and working on children’s television, where he met Stephanie, a BBC production assistant.