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Holly Willoughby & Phillip Schofield break silence on ‘jumping Queen’s queue’ row… but viewers aren’t having it
HOLLY Willoughby and Phillip Schofield returned to This Morning today and addressed accusations they jumped the queue to see the Queen lying in state on Friday.
The presenting duo said they "understood" the backlash after they used media passes to access Westminster Hall after fellow celebrities queued for hours with members of the public.
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Tuesday's This Morning opened with a montage of emotional TV moments since Queen Elizabeth II's death which included a clip from inside the hall, without showing Holly and Phil as they walked past the monarch's coffin.
Holly, 41, told viewers as the footage aired: "Like hundreds of accredited broadcasters and journalists we were given official permission to access the hall.
"It was strictly for the purpose of reporting on the event for millions of people in the UK who haven’t been able to visit Westminster in person.
"The rules were that we would be quickly escorted around the edges to a platform at the back. In contrast those paying respects walked along a carpeted area beside the coffin and were given time to pause.
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"None of the broadcasters and journalists took anyone's places in the queue and no one filed past the Queen.
"We of course respected those rules however we realised that it may have looked like something else and therefore we totally understand the reaction.
";Please know that we would never jump a queue."
A clip followed from outside Westminster Hall as Phil reflected on his visit and said: "That's got to be one of the most profound moments of my life."
However fans were left unimpressed by their explanation - branding it a "pathetic excuse".
Dozens shared their frustration on Twitter after Holly, 42, and Phil, 60, addressed the backlash following calls for them to be sacked from the ITV show.
One viewer tweeted: "Pathetic excuse. The 3 of them @hollywills @Schofe #MartinFrizell seen a loophole to jump the queue. Since when do any of them go to an outside filming piece. Lost the last bit of trust they had with the viewers @itv #ThisMorning @thismorning"
Another raged: "They still Queue jumped. 'we would never jumped the queue' my a**e. They are not broadcasters, This morning is a talk show. Susanna Reid is a broadcaster for GMB and she waited hours like the rest of us. Holly and Phil have no shame, it’s a disgrace."
As a third typed: "Well, one for the 'Sorry if you thought it was wrong' scrapbook. S**t explanation, they aren't even journalists, it's a magazine programme, no need to be there at all, let alone jump in."
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However, some were supportive of the pair with one tweeting: "Holly and Phillip didn’t jump the queue... there’s worst things in the world that are happening right now."
Another called their explanation that they were there to cover the event for This Morning "perfectly reasonable".
Holly and Phil went to see the Queen lying in state without joining the long queue like David Beckham and Susanna Reid on Friday.
ITV insisted they "did not file past the Queen's coffin" on Friday but were being escorted to work from the press gallery by government staff.
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Despite being eligible to enter Westminster Hall without joining the public queue viewers demanded that Holly and Phil address the backlash on the ITV show.
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Since Friday TV stars Susanna, Huw Edwards, Eamonn Holmes, Fern Britton and Neil Jones have made subtle digs at Holly and Phil across TV, Twitter and Instagram.
Meanwhile, a petition to axe the pair has soared in signatures since Friday.
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