Phillip Schofield, U.K. TV Host and LGBTQ Ally, Comes Out as Gay

British TV host Phillip Schofield, long known as an LGBTQ ally, has come out as gay.

Schofield, 57, a cohost of ITV's This Morning, came out Friday in a statement posted on Twitter, saying, "With the strength and support of my wife and my daughters, I have been coming to terms with the fact I am gay."

He and his wife, Steph, have been married since 1993. They have two adult daughters, Molly and Ruby. He said he is feeling "pain and confusion," but only because of the effect on his family.

"Every day on This Morning, I sit in awe of those we meet who have been brave and open in confronting their truth -- so now it's my turn to share mine," he continued. "This will probably all come as something of a surprise and I understand, but only by facing this, by being honest, can I hope to find peace in my mind and a way forward."

Schofield then appeared on Friday's edition of the program with cohost Holly Willoughby, who he said has also been a great source of support.

He told Willoughby he wasn't forced to come out but decided to do so now because "all you can be in your life is honest with yourself and I was getting to the point where I wasn't being honest with myself and I didn't like myself very much because I wasn't being honest with myself."

"The thing is, you know, this has been bothering me for a very long time; everybody does these things at their own speed, when they think the time is right," he added. "It has consumed my head and has become an issue in my head."

Schofield has stood up for LGBTQ equality many times over his career, which in addition to This Morning has included hosting Dancing on Ice and Going Live! In December, he spoke supportively of the first same-sex couple to appear on Dancing on Ice, saying, "It's a big deal this year and then ... it won't be such a big deal."

Also, according to a Pink News summation of his work, last year he confronted an activist who was protesting LGBTQ-inclusive lessons in Birmingham schools. Protesters were harming their own children by encouraging them to be less tolerant, he said.

In 2017, he told an anti-transgender guest that her views were "utterly abhorrent" and "medieval." The same year, he told other anti-trans activists that children don't have an issue with trans people. And he has expressed support for a filmmaker who is creating a documentary about LGBTQ people with autism.

Watch Schofield's talk with Willoughby below.