Phillip Scofield Why all the Fuss

Apparently his mum has been supportive.

I don't care one way or the other. I can understand that it will be easier for him and his family now that it's out there, though.

Maybe his wife wants to move on? They may wish to separate but stay friends, which by the sound of things has unofficially been the case anyway. Who knows? What he has gained by bringing it into the open is that whatever happens has been explained now, so won't be a big story in the future.

It must be very difficult to live with the knowledge that one's personal life is of interest to the press.

Eloethan certainly it does take some doing to announce that you're gay to people who didn't know. I just don't think any more than his immediate circle had any business with it. It's surely not going to make any difference to his media work? As for making it more acceptable by having famous people coming out in public - does it really make any difference to the thugs who give them a bad time? Will his announcement make any difference to the men who beat up the two lesbians on the bus?

Who cares? Total non-news, What makes him so important that he thinks anyone outside his private circle is remotely interested?

I don’t imagine for one second it’s going to change the behaviour of these kinds of thugs and Id be surprised if he thought it would, but it means he’s now free to live his life as he wants to without the media printing all kinds of spurious stories about him. Now he’s put it out in the open it’s a non story (or will be within a few days) and it’s good that he feels able to be open about that side of his life.

Well MOnica the wall to wall coverage of this across all forms of media rather contradicts what you’ve posted.

I didn't know the media were bullying him over it. Can't the discrimination laws be stretched to stopping the media hounding people over their sexual orientation, or their non-disclosure of it?

I don't watch GMTV, but in order to understand the subject of this thread I watched a clip of the program covering his announcement. Those still saying the media were bullying him or threatening him obviously haven't watched it, because he says quite clearly he has not had his hand forced in any way, and was making the statement of his own volition.

Surely it's natural to want to live in a way that's in tune with your own preferences, which is why people 'come out'.

It doesn't make a scrap of difference to anyone except those closest to him, but better out than in, I think.

I haven't followed all the threads and couldn't care less whether he's gay or not but maybe he is a "truthful" type (rare these days!) and decided he felt more comfortable and honest by coming out.

I am not remotely interested in the sexual orientation of people on TV. When they're gay it's often pretty obvious anyway.

As for people feeling sorry for his wife and children I'm sure they'll cope. They must have a very comfortable life and although it may have come as a shock at first PS is far from alone.

Loads of politicians are gay but marry a member of the opposite sex for appearances. Leon Brittain was one of them. I met him face-to-face years ago and he was very effeminate in his appearance, body language and voice. He married a woman who'd been married before and had her own children. Interesting choice!

Maybe the press weren’t bullying him or maybe he’s been in the business long enough to know that complaining about certain media outlets does you no favours (H&M for example). Either way, there will be a lot of people who are interested and I think it’s always good to lead an honest life.

We've already had a whole day of this and no doubt it will be 'news' for many days to come. I've no idea why we have all the hugging and congratulations. I feel sorry for his wife as she must have known for a while.

Has there ever been a person we always assumed to be gay who came out as straight, later in life? I once knew gay man who confessed to me that he found women attractive but didn't dare tell anyone as he thought he would be ostracised.

I think they’re bisexual or pansexual

To ReadyMeals, you say you once knew a gay man who confessed he found women attractive, the thing is did he want to sleep with them as well, if so then as SirChenjin says that would make him bisexual.

This is what is slightly confusing to me as a lot of older men are "coming out as gay" after many years of marriage, and like Philip Schofield has said in his words I truly love my wife and we have had a wonderful life so is he gay or bisexual? because he can obviously love a woman.
Too confusing for me .

I have always enjoyed watching him on tv but now am shocked by how 2 faced he has been, his wife must be devastated that her husband of over 20 yrs is an out and out liar to her, all the "gushing" on the TV and social media and in the press saying "oh we love you Phillip , what a brave thing to do by coming out,,,,, what about feeling for his wife who he has lied to for years ,

We don't know that he lied to her.

Also, it is perfectly possible to love someone whilst not being sexually attracted to them. I suspect that a lot of marriages worked along those lines when it was illegal for men to be openly gay.

Given that the marriage lasted for 27 years, they must have found a way to make it work.

I think its quite common for couples to truly love one another, even if one is gay.

That's one of the reasons people sometimes hide it for years, because they're devastated themselves, and know their partner will be, too.

We don’t know about their marriage, their relationship, who knew what when. We don’t have to take any interest in it at all if we don’t want to. PS has done nothing illegal and how he and his wife sort out their relationship is upto them. In the White House and at No 10 we have two heterosexual men who have had a multiplicity of assorted wives and mistresses, often it appears at the same time. Fractured families, abortions a penchant for women much younger than themselves and god knows what else. What’s sad about the PS case is that we still live in a society with rampant homophobia - just a week or so ago the C of E said sex was only for straight married people. No wonder some people struggle with acknowledging to themselves their sexuality when the established church ( and other major religions )deny them the legitimacy of truly being themselves. Our esteemed leader called them tank top bum boys. Give me a gay man any day , even one who was in the so called closet for years over those two sorry excuses for ‘men’

I agree suzie.

I agree with Paddyanne. I do hope Mrs Schofield and the family are ok, I really hope after 20 odd years of marriage they can survive this. The situation isn't fair on his wife, has he known all this time?

He was famous here in New Zealand (and very much liked) long before he went back to the UK to seek his fortune.

It was well known he was gay but in this country, no one cares. In fact same-sex couples have all the same rights as anyone else.

It amuses me that British media are still in the dark ages and seem to find being gay something worth mentioning.

I think the media are only interested because he made a public announcement BradfordLass73. If someone courts publicity as Schofield does then it's to be expected that his actions will come under scrutiny.

Bradford I don’t think we are at all bothered by the fact that he is gay. That is as acceptable here as it would appear to be in NZ.
The problem I have is that he lived a lie. I feel extremely sorry for his wife and children especially as he now has seen fit to make it so public and to extract as much sympathy as he can get for himself.

Yawn, yawn.

Well if there’s got to be a discussion about his sexuality I ll just add this surely it’s more that he is bi sexual he has had a loving marriage for 27 years and two daughters so sex with a woman can’t have been that repugnant for him and surely if it was he’d have come out before, he seems a truthful man or
is he saying he’s only realised it later in life or is he perhaps found someone else and that makes it more necessary to be truthful but who knows and honestly who cares
I really find all the hugs and congratulations on Tv , weird, unnecessary and quite over the top I don’t see why it has to have a fanfare because ‘he’s found himself’
UPDATE
Well bradfordlass as you seem to have inside information that it was well known he was gay and as he was in NZ when he first started out at aged 19 then he’s gone right down in my estimation as that means his marriage which was 10 years later was a sham from the start