Phillip Scofield Why all the Fuss

I couldn't care less about who either PS or BOJO sleep with ,I think PS has made a mistake in how he dealt with this and as for Bojo ANY man who leaves a wife while she's being treated for cancer is beneath contempt in my book though I think she's better off without the scumbag

Typing is not my forte and I am without spellchecker on this. I note some reversed letters.

tickingbird It’s the fawning and faux sincerity. The hugs and pats on the back.

Yes, all the virtue signalling by the luvvies .... it's nauseating. My thoughts are with his wife and daughters.

I agree with tickingbird. This has nothing to do with his sexuality. He’s gay, no problem with that. The problem is that he’s lied to his wife for 27 years and now he’s being called brave and he’s ‘proud of himself’. I feel sorry for his wife and daughters. He’s a cheat and a liar.

I agree with Grannygravy. I initially had sympathy for him, even though the style of the announcement was way over the top. I've changed my mind now.

From what is emerging, rumours about his relationship with a very young runner etc, it appears he wasn't being totally honest in that interview with Holly. Seems it was a PR set up/damage limitation exercise, carefully orchestrated.

We don't know what's happened between him and his wife over the years, she possibly knew and reluctantly accepted it. She must be very humiliated now this is all public.

I don't care if he's gay or not personally. I just don't like hypocrisy.

Males preference for male has been in existence since male specie inhabited earth. P S is no exception but come on did he have to make a public announcement his wife was aware of this through out their twenty seven year and the birth of two daughters marriage.?What some women will tolerate beggars belief.Having gone ' public' may not have been the wisest thing.How far ones limits of ' tolerance' stretch ? time will tell.

James Corden’s ‘you are strong. You are loved’, reminded me
Of bananas

I think he must have been forced into it, as someone else was about to speak out.

Having worked with people who hid their sexuality for years I think a little more understanding of the very real fears and the very real pressures gay people were under until relatively lately should be taken into account. In many jobs coming out as gay was not only difficult but impossible. As for the relationships with women some of the gay men I have known have sometimes been actively pursued by women. I would imagine it happens to a few, some manage to dismiss them (but that's usually men who are 'out', some tried to be friends (but that sometimes led to problems) and no doubt some married them hoping they weren't gay really.
As for the relationship in the TV programme. Perhaps there was a power element for PS but there is also the possibility that the young man was much more comfortable with his sexuality and knew what he was doing. I simply don't know. I do know of a gay partnership that began when one of the men was just 18 and the other was 40+ and that went on until the older man died.
Whatever happened it's amazing the prejudice and judgemental attitudes still out there. Makes you realise why PS stayed in the closet so long. And therefore how it has contributed to the wife and daughters' distress. If it was easier to be honest things wouldn't have happened as they have.
Still never watch the programme can't stand any of them -Holly, Philip, Ruth or Eamonn. Storm in a teacup. Or as my mum always said "Worse things happen in Russia" . Never understood where that came from!

Surely a man of 30 knows he is homosexual?

Gay, straight, bisexual, be what you want to be especially nowadays when men can even win women’s prizes by just saying they’re a woman.
Cheat on your partner -inexcusable. Those doing the patting and hugging for coming out are ostensibly condoning the cheating.

Anniebach Surely a man of 30 knows he is homosexual?

According to the media, Annie, he says he did know but he got married anyway! As he is in showbiz, he is surrounded by gays .... it's not like he was in the army back then.

I have read some of the showbiz messages of support and comments on his "bravery" which are gushing. One person said his interview was "the height of bravery", clearly discounting bomb disposal and other high risk jobs!!

If he had betrayed his wife of 27 years with another woman, there would be none of this virtue signalling. I can't stand the hypocrisy.

Aprilrose you got that spot on. I'd like to applaud your wisdom but there is no icon (that I can find ) so I'll send you instead

And once again Grannygravy I find myself agreeing with you and I've changed my mind. Like to give people the benefit of the doubt but hey ho. Got to be sympathetic to his wife on this.

Sparkle no surprise, we hear of young boys struggling to come to terms with their sexuality but men of 30 !

Well Annie you have obviously led a sheltered life. Many people don't come out until they are in their 40s or even 50s. Never underestimate the power of the desire to live an 'ordinary' life and fit in with society's norms.

society's norms

What are they?
Even in 1993 it would not have raised much interest.

No trisher , not a sheltered life. When anyone chooses to come out is up to them, but to live a lie , to marry , this may be your society’s norm but not mine.

I think the only reason PS announced this is because he possibly got caught. Surely, it does not take you all these years to know you are gay. My gay pals agree, most of them knew by their teens or twenties. I understand why PS hid who he was. What I do feel is he robbed his wife of all those years where the lady obviously thought she was in a genuine marriage with a straight man. I don't think it's fair that he married her , unless of course she knew from the beginning? Im trying to put myself in her shoes, I would be devastated. It's all very well rallying round PS but who is rallying round his wife and daughters? Where is all this support for them? Unfortunately, this isn't finished and I have a horrible feeling that PS either has met someone or a new somebody will be announced at some point. I really hope his wife and daughters are ok. Rather than feeling all lovey dovey and dewy eyed, I think it is a very sad situation all round. The way this was all done, he will regret it. If he isn't already.

I have seen online somewhere that his wife had no idea.
A report of an interview she has given, where she broke down in tears.

Some people on here seem to think homosexuality is a non-issue these days, that there is no reason for anyone to be reluctant to say they are gay and that people like Scofield are making a big production out of nothing.

That is patently not true. Some people are actually thrown out of the family home for being gay, and, in the public arena, physical and verbal attacks on gay people are increasingly being reported. There is also much evidence to demonstrate that certain sportspeople, for instance in football and rugby are afraid to say they are gay. I don't suppose having people calling you vile names, sneering at you, spitting at you, threatening you, beating you up, etc etc. is a great incentive to being "out and proud".

Additionally, investigative journalists have also found that saying you are gay can negatively impact your employment prospects.

attitude.co.uk/article/gay-man-left-with-horrific-injuries-after-brutal-homophobic-attack-outside-london-club-1/16781/

www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/thug-jailed-for-beating-gay-man-to-ground-and-breaking-his-leg-in-vicious-homophobic-attack-a3724471.html

www.pinknews.co.uk/2007/01/23/gay-man-wins-orientation-discrimination-case/

www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1137495/gay-women-attacked-camden-london-homophobic-assault

www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/8253076.mob-attack-keighley-couple-in-barkerend-bradford/

I don’t expect anyone would deny that some homosexual people experience bullying, abuse and attack (as do other sections of society, notably my autistic grandson) But how does that excuse somebody who knows they are gay marrying a woman without revealing that truth? Did his wife really deserve to be used as a “cover”?

Apparently a judge on Dancing with Ice has called him a 'legend'. This is getting rather silly now. It seriously detracts from the issues people who are very deeply involved in this admission will be dealing with- his wife of all those years and his daughters.

He says he knew he was gay when he married and that thought may haunt his wife for a very long time. She and his two daughters will have to come to terms with the realisation what he is not the person they thought he was. As difficult as it's been for him, it's not all about him. I pity them all.

So to save his employment prospects he gets married.

Just to address the points some people are making about cheating on his wife. In many of the cases of high profile extra-marital sex, the partner is complicit or condoning. In this particular case he might have confided he was at least bisexual even before they got married, just not to anyone else. And I suspect there are many many politicians marriages where the couple are working together for the good of the party and their beliefs and they would have mutually divorced years ago if they were not concerned it would affect their political careers so they are quite happily accepting extramarital relationships. IMHO it's only "cheating" if the other partner is being fooled into thinking it's a traditional monogamous marriage.