Phillip Schofield has revealed the one thing he cannot live without as he announces his dramatic TV comeback in new survival show. 

The former This Morning presenter, 62, has secretly filmed a special three part series for Channel 5, which required him to give up his home comforts for 10 days of soul-searching on a tropical island in the Indian Ocean.

And Phil really braved the natural world as he admitted his only luxury item with him on the trip was a lip balm. 

In a statement to promote the series, titled Phillip Schofield: Cast Away, Phil said: 'This time it's just me, no 'phone, no comforts, no crew and only lip balm as a luxury. 

'I'm looking forward to exploring the island, trying to tie knots to secure my shelter and foraging and fending for myself in the wild … with no help.'

Phil will discuss his bitter parting of ways with ITV and This Morning, which he hosted for 21 years, while fending for himself on the island paradise, located off the coast of Madagascar. 

He explained: 'This is most definitely a first for me and the only thing I felt compelled to do.

'It appealed to me on so many levels. I've recently had a lot of time to think about my life, what went right and what went wrong, but I've always had the safe arms of friends and family wrapped around me.'

The star joked: 'Maybe I'll be Robinson Crusoe, or maybe I'll just be Tom Hank's Wilson and quietly drift off into the wild blue yonder!!'

The series will air across three nights from Monday September 30 to Wednesday October 2, in three 60 minute installments.

It follows Phillip as he is cast away for ten days and nine nights on a remote, unpopulated island off the coast of Madagascar. 

Viewers will see the axed presenter reflect on the emotional impact of his exile from mainstream TV after news of his affair with a 20-year old runner on This Morning came to light.

It's understood that Schofield was given a handheld camera, body cameras and a sound pack before being left to record his emotional week-and-a-half long journey. 

Posting on Instagram on Wednesday morning, the star shared photos promoting the new show as he told fans: 'Now you know how I spent my Summer! Alone for 10 days, no food, no water, no crew.'

'My story of survival, both on a desert island and off it. Cast Away starts Monday on @channel5 & My5 at 9pm.'

The TV comeback has been met with disdain by the public with one declaring: 'If this is designed to make people feel sorry for him, it will backfire massively. People were just starting to forget, and now they are raking it all up again.' 

One said: 'There’s shameless. Totally shameless,' while another added: 'How tke [sic] f*** is Phillip Schofield getting a tv show? This is a disgrace.'

Scott Bryan added: 'Quite shocked by that Phillip Schofield show but then I remembered that this is Channel 5 so hardly not surprising.'