Screen return on hold for Phil

The presenter's first public appearances since he quit This Morning stir comeback rumours, but experts tell new he may have to wait another year

Phillip Schofield surprised fans last week when he was spotted out in public twice. But while rumours are rife that the presenter could be plotting a TV comeback, a source tells new he has no imminent plans to return to our screens – and his former co-host and best friend Holly Willoughby is relieved.

Phillip was pictured helping his pal and former This Morning colleague Vanessa Feltz into a car after they dined at the Little Bird restaurant in Chiswick.

Four days later, he was seen sipping a Bloody Mary cocktail and enjoying a burger at The Weir Bar in Brentford with a female companion. They were the first public sightings of the 61-year-old since his resignation from ITV in May after he admitted to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague.

The source said that while the outings have stirred up rumours that Phillip could be about to make a comeback, there are no plans for a return to the screen, as broadcasters are still wary about the public’s perception.

“There were rumours flying around about him making a comeback, but that just isn’t going to happen. TV channels are keeping their distance,” said the source.

“Vanessa was putting the feelers out to TalkTV producers about Phil having a segment there, but they gave her a hard ‘no’. He’s almost been blacklisted from TV.”

Asked about a possible move to TalkTV, the presenter’s lawyer Jonathan Coad told new he had “not heard anything to that effect from Phillip”.