Phillip Schofield: British Soap Awards hit with protests against presenter despite replacing host

Protestors held up banners as they stood among hundreds of soap fans

The British Soap Awards was hit with protests against Phillip Schofield on Saturday night (3 June), despite the host being replaced for the ceremony.

Schofield, 61, announced last week he would be stepping down from presenting the annual awards as he resigned from ITV altogether, after admitting he’d had an “unwise” but “not illegal” affair with a much younger colleague on This Morning.

He confessed that he had lied about the affair to his employers at ITV, his colleagues and friends, his agents, the media and the public.

Read the latest updates on the Schofield fall-out here.

It was later announced that singer Jane McDonald would be stepping in to hosts the awards instead.

Despite Schofield not being present at the ceremony, a handful of protesters with banners gathered outside the event at The Lowry in Salford.

The signs featured photographs of Schofield and his former This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby.

There was a crowd of over 200 soap fans, of which a very small minority had banners.

The rest of the soap fans were there to get autographs and cheer on their favourite stars.

One of the attendees posted on Twitter: “The protestors at the Soap Awards were an interesting bunch!”

Phillip Schofield says he has ‘lost everything’ in the wake of his secret affair (BBC)

The Independent has contacted ITV for comment. Representatives of Schofield declined to comment when approached.

In contrast to those protesting, celebrities such as Jeremy Clarkson and Rupert Everett have begun to speak out in support of Schofield in recent days.

There have also been reports that the BBC has been trying to poach Willoughby for presenting roles.

The ceremony saw big wins for Coronation Street, which led the charge with six awards including for its recent acid attack storyline.

It will be televised on ITV on Tuesday night (6 June).

This is the first Soap Awards that Schofield has missed since he began hosting the annual ceremony in 2009.