Phillip Schofield takes aim at 'cowards' who he claims 'threw him under the bus' amid controversies

Phillip Schofield's controversial return to television will see the former presenter brand several of his former colleagues as 'cowards'.

Channel 5 announced last week that the ex-This Morning frontman - who quit the show in May last year after an affair he'd had with a younger, male colleague hit headlines - would be appearing on a three-part special titled Cast Away.

The self-fronted documentary series which starts tonight (30 September), will see the 62-year-old 'marooned on an inhabited tropical island off the coast of Madagascar for 10 days', where he'll reflect on the events of the last year.

Schofield admitted at the time that he had an 'unwise but not illegal' affair with a former runner on the popular daytime show, which he previously hosted with Holly Willoughby.

As well as reflecting on his departure from television and the effect that the scandal has since had on his mental health, the series will also see the father-of-two opening up on the 'betrayal' he believes he faced after three people 'threw' him 'under the bus'.

"I found out after I left that there are a few people in there that might be a little bit toxic," he said.

"I never saw it," Schofield insisted. "When (you’re) on the telly, you don’t see stuff like that, you’re protected from it, people don’t tell you, so I had no clue."

The show will see Phillip Schofield reflect on the events of the last year (Channel 5)

The ex-Dancing On Ice frontman then went on to describe 'three s***s', who 'screwed up' his time at the broadcaster.

"When what happened to me happened to me, it screwed up my favourite building in the world," he went on.

"And it pretty well blew away all those happy memories, and suddenly, the place became hostile to me, and that was heartbreaking.

"And the people who did it to me, know, they know how important that building was to me. They know that when you throw someone under a bus, you've got to have a really bloody good reason to do it.

"Brand, ambition is not good enough. It's not a good enough reason to throw someone under a bus."

Schofield added: "I was just thinking there as I was collecting wood. There are only three s***s. One of them is a coward who never stepped up in queue gate.

"One of them is a coward because they never stepped up when I was being battered by one journalist.... and the other one is just brand-oriented."

He previously hosted This Morning alongside Holly Willoughby (ITV)

The former on-screen star continued: "When you've given so much to somewhere and been so loyal, to have absolutely no loyalty shown to you. I know what I did was unwise, not sensible. But is it enough to absolutely destroy someone? Literally, destroy them."

"When it came to a sudden very abrupt end, you know one minute you’re there and then the next minute you’re gone, you know what it feels like to be cancelled," he added.

Schofield took aim at three of his former colleagues (Channel 5)

"It’s like the biggest grenade going off in your life, and you know you let people down, you’ve let yourself down, and it was unwise and unprofessional thing to do, I will be forever sorry, I screwed up, I made a mistake, and I hurt the people around me."

When does Castaway air?

Beginning tonight (30 September) at 9pm, the three-part series will continue at the same time tomorrow (1 October) and the following day (2 October).