Phillip Schofield says coming out was the only way to save himself.
Phillip Schofield
The 58-year-old TV presenter revealed in February that he is gay and Phillip admitted that the stress of hiding his sexuality for years had taken a huge toll on him.
Speaking on RTÉ One's 'The Late Late Show' with Ryan Tubridy, he said: "I had long conversations with Steph [his wife], we talked about it a lot. It was really beginning to trip me up, mess with my head.
"It started off with a little bit of confusion, then my head managed to turn it into something really big, scary and dark. Steph and I went through that together.
"Then when I had made the decision, the only way I think I could save myself because it got that dark was that I had to be honest. I had to be truthful.
"Then when you've decided to make that decision you have to be honest and truthful with the people who are around you."
Phillip also revealed that he travelled to Cornwall to break the news to his mother Pat, 84, in person as she had been worried about him for some time.
He said: "She had already asked me months before, ''are you OK, you look skinny... you look sad, I know there's something wrong''. I said, ''I'll tell you when the time is right, but I'm not ill.''
"I said ''Mum, I have something to tell you'', so I told her and she said ''Oh, oh right OK, thank God for that, I thought you were going blind..."
Referring to "annoying floaters" he had developed in his eyes, she said: 'Those things in your eyes, that's alright, so long as you are OK and Steph's OK and the girls are OK. I'm fine!'
"My mum suddenly turned into this incredibly modern, forward-thinking 84-year-old and we have these incredible really good solid chats about my head, how I am and us as a family. That's actually worked out really well."
Meanwhile, Phillip recently revealed he and Steph - who he has been married to for 27 years - have not discussed divorce at all.
He said: "I am still married to Steph. There is a great deal of talk of divorce - we have not discussed that at all. With divorce...that has not been discussed. We are picking our way through and however that works and it's a work in progress. I am a work in progress. Steph is a work in progress."
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