As Noel Edmonds returns to the spotlight, Chris Tarrant’s unfiltered take on Phillip Schofield’s fall from grace is causing quite the stir.

Chris Tarrant has hit out at Phillip Schofield and pointed out a “nasty little trick” used by host of TV presenters. The former Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host scoffed at Schofield’s attempt to claw back public favour after last year’s now-infamous Castaway stunt, which saw him isolating himself on a remote island in a bid to reset his tarnished image. Tarrant was left far from impressed by Schofield’s actions after he lost his This Morning post for an affair with a younger male colleague behind his wife’s back.

He shared: “There was not a hint of apology or even a, ‘Maybe I got things wrong’. Christ Almighty, ” he fumed. Schofield, Tarrant says bluntly, “lost the plot” after years at the top, adding: “He was the most over-exposed man on television — maybe only Terry Wogan came close. But Terry was on constantly because he was brilliant, funny, sharp as anything. I adored him.”

Phillip Schofield no longer speaks to Holly Willoughby his former co-star after he departed ITV. (Image: ITV)

Chris Tarrant was once the host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. (Image: Getty)

In contrast, Tarrant is scathing about Schofield’s appeal. He told The Telegraph: “‘Safe pair of hands’, they used to say. But honestly — did anyone ever rush home shouting, ‘Quick, it’s nearly eight o’clock, I must see the safe pair of hands!’? Dear oh dear.”

And he delivered a brutal verdict on Schofield’s once primetime roster, sharing: “Dancing On Ice, The Cube, all of it — mostly c–p.”

Tarrant, who began his career in radio, says the industry is home to “much nicer people” than television. “On television, you can get away with murder if you’ve got a smile and a nice suit for 13 weeks a year,” he said.

“But some of them — and I do know a few — are all charm on-screen, then scream their heads off behind the scenes. It’s a nasty little trick that only works for so long.”

The retired presenter had a 52-year-long career on TV and is best known for his role in Tiswas from 1974 to 1981, as well as hosting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? from 1998 until 2014.

In the late 2010s, Tarrant began to step away from regular TV and no longer hosted shows. After the coronavirus pandemic, he was rarely seen on screens.

Speaking to the MailOnline, Tarrant said: “52 years is a long time on air. I loved what I did. I had a really good time. But I went to the funerals of five really good mates, who were about the same age as me, and I thought, ‘I don’t know how long I’ve got left in life, but I don’t want to spend it locked away in a studio’.”

The TV star added that he did consider leaving TV in 2014 after he suffered a mini-stroke that resulted in him needing speech therapy.

Telling MailOnline: “I had a lucky escape. I can chat to you now, [my body] is working. But I did have to have speech therapy. It took a while to get everything back. It was scary.”