Graham Norton says he believes Phillip Schofield ‘has a secret boyfriend squirrelled away somewhere’

Graham Norton believes Phillip Schofield is dating and has a ‘secret boyfriend squirrelled away somewhere.’

The This Morning host recently moved out of the family home he shared with wife Stephanie Lowe and into a new bachelor pad after bravely coming out as gay at the age of 57 in February.

Chat show host Norton, 57, who has huge sympathy for Schofield for having to keep his sexuality secret for so long, said he was ‘sure’ the star has a new partner during a chat on Chris Evans’ Virgin Radio How To Wow podcast.

Claim: Graham Norton believes Phillip Schofield is dating and has a ‘secret boyfriend squirrelled away somewhere’ (Schofield pictured in February 2020)

He said:’I imagine Pip has some secret boyfriend squirrelled away somewhere. I’m sure he has. I don’t know Pip. I don’t know why I’m calling him Pip.

‘I remember what it was like keeping that secret when I was a kid. To keep that secret for presumably 30, 40 years, what that does to you. It’s so strange.’   

Norton believes Schofield’s decision to finally come out was down to the simple fact ‘people needed to know.’

Speaking about his own coming out process he said: ‘There are no rules in this thing.

New relationship? Chat show host Norton, 57, who has huge sympathy for Schofield for having to keep his sexuality secret for so long, said he was 'sure' the star has a new partner during a chat on Chris Evans' Virgin Radio How To Wow podcast

New relationship? Chat show host Norton, 57, who has huge sympathy for Schofield for having to keep his sexuality secret for so long, said he was ‘sure’ the star has a new partner during a chat on Chris Evans’ Virgin Radio How To Wow podcast

‘When I didn’t know, I didn’t know, because I didn’t know what it was. I wasn’t aware of sexuality or the spectrum of sexuality, I didn’t understand you could be attracted to different people.

‘But I guess as you get older you’ve got more of a vocabulary for all of that stuff so you should be able to name things. But there are no rules.

‘There is no right time to come out. I think people talk about coming out as a very simplistic thing. I’ve come out now. And you don’t. You constantly have to come out.

‘I’m kind of as gay as famous as you can get and even now I’ll be in the back of a cab and the cab driver will make a comment about the first sunny day and the women wearing flimsy dresses or short skirts or low tops or something.

‘And as a gay man in the back of the taxi you have to make a decision – will I come out to this man or will I nod and smile and hope the conversation changes.

Unconditional: The This Morning host recently moved out of the family home he shared with wife Stephanie Lowe and into a new bachelor pad after bravely coming out as gay at the age of 57 in February (pictured with Stephanie in January 2020)

Unconditional: The This Morning host recently moved out of the family home he shared with wife Stephanie Lowe and into a new bachelor pad after bravely coming out as gay at the age of 57 in February (pictured with Stephanie in January 2020)

‘You have to constantly make that decision, do I come out to my postman? Does he need to know?

‘It’s on a need to know basis. And I guess Phillip Schofield got to a point where he felt that people needed to know.’

Mailonline has contacted Phillip Schofield’s representative for comment.     

Revealing when he first started telling people he was gay, Graham added: ‘Everybody comes out as bi first.

‘I went to San Francisco and then I had a girlfriend in San Francisco. Such a rebel. Never want to fit in. But I also had an affair with a man hippy. He wasn’t gay.

‘When I came back to London everyone just assumed I was gay so I was gay. And I was gay. And a few people set me up on dates. And I was working in a restaurant, lots of gay men.

‘So I never felt the struggle of it in a way. Because I came out in a world that was immediately accepting.’   

Schofield, 58, is still married to wife of 27 years Stephanie but admitted last month their relationship is a ‘work in progress’ as he comes to terms with his sexuality.

He came out in an emotional Instagram post saying how Stephanie and daughters Ruby, 27, and Molly, 24 had been supporting him while he had been ‘coming to terms with the fact that I am gay’.

So brave: Norton believes Schofield's decision to finally come out was down to the simple fact 'people needed to know'

So brave: Norton believes Schofield’s decision to finally come out was down to the simple fact ‘people needed to know’

The former Going Live presenter later appeared alongside This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby, telling viewers his sexuality had become ‘an issue in his head.’

He said: ‘All you can be in your life is honest with yourself and I was getting to the point where I knew I wasn’t honest with myself.

‘I was getting to the point where I didn’t like myself very much because I wasn’t being honest with myself.’

And in October, Schofield said keeping his sexually secret was driving him to a ‘total breakdown’.   

He revealed he once forced his driver to turn around on the way to film This Morning after refusing to appear on the show while struggling with his sexuality.

The TV presenter opened up about his struggles in his new memoir Life Is What You Make It, where he told how he ran off set to vomit during the darkest days of hiding his secret from the world.

Emotional: The This Morning host made the decision to come out earlier this year as he shared an emotional Instagram statement with his followers, before being interviewed by co-host Holly Willoughby just moments later (pictured at the time)

Emotional: The This Morning host made the decision to come out earlier this year as he shared an emotional Instagram statement with his followers, before being interviewed by co-host Holly Willoughby just moments later (pictured at the time)

Phil explained how he contacted his wife to tell her he couldn’t film the show that day, as she was the only person who knew about his hidden sexuality at the time.   

He said: ‘I had to come out. If I didn’t, the secret was going to give me a total breakdown… at best.’ 

Detailing his decision to pull out of filming, he said: ‘I sat alone in the flat, staring at the walls, as This Morning started on the other side of London. 

‘It was a very stupid thing to do… all my closest friends knew how ragged my head was but no one except Steph knew why.’   

Phil said he realised he needed to seek help when he had to dash off set to throw up, while he also began taking prescription medication in order to cope.

He said: ‘It was the first time my issues had spilled over into work. Another day I had to leave a fashion item to be sick. I now knew that I needed professional help.’ 

It’s thought this occurred in March 2019 when Holly Willoughby was forced to present This Morning solo with Phillip ‘off sick’. 

She said on air at the time: ‘Well you might have noticed, I’m all by myself. Phillip is not well today and we’re wishing him lots of love and hope that he’s better soon. 

‘It’s so weird, I came and sat here and I sat in his chair. It just didn’t seem right to sit in that chair,’ she said as she pointed to the empty seat. ‘And this one to be empty. 

He talked to Lorraine on her show on Thursday about the day he was sick:  

‘I was in the car, going down the M20… it had never crept into work, here at work is my sanctuary. My driver Tony, he’s very committed. I said: “Tony take me to the flat”. I just sat in the flat. I made the mistake of turning my phone off, I told Steph and turned my phone off. 

‘This Morning started and I wasn’t there. People may have thought that I might have done something stupid, but I wouldn’t have done.’ 

Family: Phillip said he confided in his two daughters Molly, 27, and Ruby, 24, but claimed he 'felt sick' before opening up to them about his sexuality (pictured 2018)

Family: Phillip said he confided in his two daughters Molly, 27, and Ruby, 24, but claimed he ‘felt sick’ before opening up to them about his sexuality (pictured 2018)