The mother of the late ITV presenter Caroline Flack has given her thoughts on the ongoing scandal surrounding the former This Morning host Phillip Schofield, after the broadcaster said he understood “how [she] felt” amid “relentless” media criticism of his affair with a younger male colleague. Schofield quit the popular ITV daytime show in May, before releasing a statement in which he confirmed he had a “consensual on-off relationship” which was “unwise, but not illegal”. In his first broadcast interview since issuing these comments, carried out by the BBC’s media editor Amol Rajan, the broadcaster said he has “lost everything”. “My girls saved my life… Last week, they haven’t left me for a moment. They’ve been by my side every moment, because they’re scared to let me out of their sight," Schofield said. “They said to me, ‘don’t you dare do this on our watch. We’re supposed to be looking after you.’ “If my girls hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be here, because I don’t see a future. And so how much do you want a man to take? “And this is how Caroline Flack felt, and it didn’t stop.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Flack quit ITV2’s reality show Love Island in December 2019 after facing an assault charge over an altercation with her boyfriend. She died by suicide two months later amid intense criticism online and in the press. Now, after Schofield referenced her daughter’s experience in his BBC interview, Caroline Flack’s mother Christine spoke to Newsnight and confirmed she does “feel worried for him” amid the “relentless” comments around the scandal. After presenter Victoria Derbyshire read Schofield’s remarks to Ms Flack, she replied: “That’s exactly how she felt. Everyday, she’d try and be a little bit stronger, which I imagine Phillip is, and you get more and more thrown at you. “He knew Caroline, and I must say when she died he was very upset, and I think he’s now realising even more what she went through. But until it happens to you, you feel sad, but you don’t understand.” Asked what her message to Schofield would be, Ms Flack added: “I hope they’ll get over this, and they will. They will. “Don’t do anything silly. You’ve got your daughters, you’ve got your friends.“ Ms Flack has since been commended online for her comments on social media. In his lengthy interview with the BBC, Schofield also said the fact the scandal has become “so massive” is “predominantly homophobic”, and that he is a “victim of hate”. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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The parents of a South Carolina college student are mourning the loss of their son after he was fatally shot when he entered the wrong house by mistake. Nicholas Anthony Donofrio, 20, was a student at the University of South Carolina and lived at the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity house, his parents told local news station WTNH. According to the City of Colombia Police Department, Donofrio was mistaken for a burglar and shot in the early morning hours of 26 August after he tried to enter a residence a few houses away from the fraternity on South Holly Street. Authorities said that a 911 call was initially made regarding an ongoing burglary, but it later escalated to a shooting situation. Donofrio was pronounced dead at the scene. The young man had recently moved into the fraternity’s off-campus home ahead of the start of his junior year at the university. Donofrio, a Kinesiology and Exercise Science major, was looking forward to living at the fraternity home with four close friends. ”[Nick was] a great son, loving, compassionate, all the traits you would want in a son,” Donofrio’s grieving parents said in a statement to WTNH. Donofrio was originally from Madison, Connecticut and graduated high school in 2021. “When officers arrived on the scene, they found a deceased male on the front porch with a gunshot wound to the upper body,” the City of Columbia Police said in a statement. “Preliminary information indicates that Donofrio who resided on South Holly Street attempted to enter the wrong home when he was fatally shot.” Classes at the University of South Carolina resumed on 23 August. “Our Student Affairs team is providing resources and support to those who may be affected by this tragedy, and we remind all of our students that help is always available to them,” the university said in a statement to The State. In South Carolina, individuals have no obligation to retreat and are allowed to use deadly force if they’re not engaged in unlawful activity and are in a place where they have a right to be — such as their home or place of business. The state’s “stand your ground” laws also limit law enforcement’s ability to immediately arrest the shooter if they claim they were attacked first or acting in self-defence. The City of Columbia Police Department said the investigation remains ongoing and it will consult with the solicitor’s office regarding the circumstances surrounding the case and whether charges could be filed. Read More Ron DeSantis booed at Jacksonville vigil as police say racist Florida shooter bought weapons legally – live Who is Ryan Palmeter? What we know about the racist 21-year-old Dollar General shooter Judge to decide if father of man accused in parade shooting will stand trial too

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