Phillip Schofield has admitted that he has felt suicidal in the past week amid the scandal over his affair with a young runner.

The former This Morning presenter said he was “utterly broken and ashamed” over the dalliance he had with the younger man, but insisted that he “did not” groom him.

The 61-year-old resigned from ITV last week after 21 years fronting the daytime show and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” relationship, in one of the most dramatic downfalls from stardom. 

In an interview with the BBC released on Friday, he said he had “lost everything” amid the backlash to the affair and his “career is over”, adding: “Do you want me to die? Because that’s where I am.”

Visibly emotional, he told the BBC’s Amol Rajan: “I think I understand how Caroline Flack felt. Last week, if my daughters hadn’t been there, then I wouldn’t be here.

“They’ve guarded me and won’t let me out of their sight. It’s like a weird numbness. I know that’s a selfish point of view, but you come to a point where you think, how much are you supposed to take?