Michelle Visage was secret rock for Phillip Schofield after he came out as gay

Michelle Visage has opened up about her touching friendship with Phillip Schofield.

Strictly's Michelle reached out to the This Morning star earlier this year after he publicly came out as gay.

Phil had penned a lengthy statement on social media in which he urged kindness and privacy toward his family, and told that they backed him fully.

Following the post, he sat down on the This Morning sofa across from co-host Holly Willoughby and explained how he was feeling.

Now Michelle has branded Phil "brave" and recalled getting in touch because she "didn't want him to feel ostracised or outcast."

"I felt this air of everybody attacking rather than celebrating," she told The Daily Star.

"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."

Phil recently recalled one of their meetings, gushing: "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."

Phil and Holly's interview back in February ended with the two best friends hugging and moved viewers to tears.

And now,since the release of his autobiography Life's What You Make It, Phil has told that he couldn't have gone ahead with the interview if it weren't for Holly's presence.

He wrote in his initial statement on Instagram : "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.

"This will probably all come as something of 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.

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Michelle VisagePhillip Schofield