Drag Race star Michelle Visage reveals she was Phillip Schofield’s ‘secret rock’ when he came out as gay

DRAG Race star Michelle Visage has revealed she was Phillip Schofield’s “secret rock” when he came out as a gay.

The former Strictly contestant, 52, wanted to make sure Phillip was OK after he bravely talked about his sexuality on the This Morning sofa at the beginning of the year.

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Speaking to the Daily Star, she said: “I felt this air of everybody attacking rather than celebrating.

“I know it’s not an easy thing to do in your older years rather than being a teenager, and it’s not easy then either.

“It’s never easy, but being in the public eye amplified it ten times.”

Phillip previously spoke of how LGBTQ+ advocate Michelle invited him for lunch when he needed support the most.

During a chat with Fearne Cotton on her Happy Place podcast, Phillip spoke out about how he’s been feeling since coming out as gay and how things have changed for him.

He said: “Before we all got locked down, I had lunch with Michelle Visage… she’s one of those really kind, compassionate people, and I’ve known her on and off the telly, and she was one of those people that messaged me… the most amazing people messaged me.

“She said, ‘Right, I’m going to take you out for coffee, we’ve got to talk and I want to make sure you’re okay.’ That’s what a lot of people have said. ‘Are you OK, are you sure you’re OK?’

“We went out, and I said, ‘I feel like I’ve joined a club, but I don’t know whether I’ve got the right credentials. I don’t know. Can I put a rainbow after stuff that I’ve said?’

“And she said, ‘Of course you can!’ I said: ‘I don’t know what I can and can’t do.’”

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Phil said that Michelle told him to “stop beating himself up” and that he has helped give people a voice who are in the same situation.

The TV star added: “She said: ‘You’re beating yourself up for no reason, welcome to the club. And what’s more, you have made a massive difference to people who also didn’t realise that they perhaps could have membership to that club.’”

Phil admitted that despite it being eight months on his “head is just as muddy as it was before”.

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He also questioned if he truly knows who he is.

Phillip told Fearne: “Do I know who I am? No. I think if I’m honest, looking you right in the eye now, I’d say I’m still pretty confused.”

The star, who has been married to Stephanie Lowe for nearly 27 years, also feels that although he has “no shame” in who is he, it has hurt those closest to him.

He told host Fearne: “I’m happy with who I am, I’m not happy with the damage it causes.”

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Phillip went on to say that he doesn’t want to cause anymore heartache for his daughters Ruby, 24, Molly, 27, and wife Steph and they are all trying their best to move forward.

He added: “I know that I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore than I’ve already hurt them, but I also know that we are, us four, the same but different, and we’re finding our way.”

Phillip broke the news on his personal Instagram account with an emotional statement back in February.

He wrote: “Every day on This Morning, I sit in awe of those we meet who have been brave and open in confronting their truth – so now it’s my turn to share mine.

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“This will probably all come as something as a surprise and I understand but only by facing this, by being honest, can I hope to find peace in my mind and a way forward.”

He then opened up about his sexuality during an incredibly moving interview on This Morning just moments later.

He told his co-host and close pal Holly Willoughby: “It’s tough but this is not something that’s happened quickly, I’ve had to deal this in my head for quite some time.

“I got to the stage where I thought we sit here, every day, and some amazingly brave person is sitting over there and I’m thinking ‘I have to be that person’.

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“All you can be in your life is honest with yourself. I was getting to a stage in my life where I was thinking I don’t really like myself because I’m not being honest with myself.

“We always say ‘talk to someone’ and you must talk to someone. It’s brought me back from some dark places and in some cases talking to people saves you.”