PHILLIP Schofield’s empire is crumbling as brands opt to “jump ship” because of “poor crisis communications”, a PR expert has claimed.
The star, 61 — who was last week axed from This Morning — has so far lost his £730,000 ITV salary as well as several other lucrative brand deals.
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Schofield sensationally left the show last week after revealing he had an affair with the much-younger male employee.
The star, who was married at the time, branded the relationship “unwise but not illegal”.
His admission catapulted the show into chaos – and has left his 40-year career in tatters.
Before his TV career came tumbling down he had estimated net worth of £9.6million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
It’s thought Phillip’s yearly salary, incorporating his presenting gigs and corporate deals, was a whopping £1.73m.
But now ITV and brands are scrambling to distance themselves from the star.
PR and Reputation Management Expert Edward Coram James told The Sun: “Phillip Schofield has been dropped as brand ambassador or representee by a number of high-profile businesses and organisations.
“In doing so, he has lost lucrative contracts that are potentially worth millions.
“However, based on the statements made by these organisations, it is clear that their reaction has been knee-jerk and not necessarily objective or considered.
“Because there has been very poor crisis communications, no one seems entirely sure what is going on and confusion has ruled the roost.
“As a result, and as happens every time crisis communications are handled this badly and confusion sets in, everybody has panicked and done what appears to be the safest and easiest thing to do when people panic: finger pointed and jumped ship.”
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Phillip reportedly earned £730,000 a year for presenting This Morning, the same as his co-host Holly.
He was also dropped by We Buy Any Car last year – who paid him £1million a year to front their advertising.
The company axed the host last year when his co-star Holly Willoughby, 41, faced a huge backlash after jumping the 12-hour line into Westminster Hall to pay respects to the Queen.
And now, in another blow to the 61-year-old, We Buy Any Car has removed all adverts featuring him from their YouTube channel.
His face has also been removed from the company’s social media pages.
Meanwhile, the firm behind Phillip’s wine brand pulled the plug earlier this week.
When in Rome joined forces with the star in 2020 to launch two new boxed wines, sold exclusively in Waitrose stores and Waitrose Cellar.
But last night the company had removed all listings of his product from their website.
A simple message told shoppers there are “no products in this collection”.
It comes after the Prince’s Trust yesterday confirmed Phillip has been dropped as an ambassador for the charity.
A spokesperson for The Prince’s Trust told The Sun they’ll no longer be working with the former TV presenter.
In a statement, they said: “In light of Phillip’s recent admissions, we have agreed with him that it is no longer appropriate to work together.”
The Sun has contacted Schofield’s representatives for comment.
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