Holly Willoughby ‘in floods of tears’ over This Morning ‘queue-jump’ backlash after it’s revealed she will not quit show
Holly Willoughby has reportedly been in 'floods of tears' over the fallout from the This Morning 'queue-jump' scandal.
Holly, 42, is said to have been beside herself over the backlash she and co-host Phillip Schofield have received since they were accused of jumping the queue to view the Queen lying in state on Friday.
According to , Holly was sobbing and 'distraught' as she and Phil both begged This Morning bosses to defend them from the ensuing storm - and were fuming that ITV didn't take action for several days before issuing a short statement defending the pair.
Members of the public were left furious as the TV hosts appeared to skip the long line, after some of them waited for up to 14 hours.
Today, Holly and Phil, 60, addressed the backlash as they insisted they would "never skip a queue".
It comes as an ITV source exclusively confirmed to The Sun: "Holly will not quit.
"She has been devastated by all the negative reaction after she turned up to work at Westminster Hall with Phil on Friday, but she's not going to resign.
"This Morning has been her life for more than a decade and the only way she'd consider quitting at this stage is if viewers really didn't want her there.
"She's tried to give their side of the story on the show today and they're both hoping to move on from it now.
"Bosses know Holly is still a hit with viewers and are counting on her working her magic on the show for a good while yet."
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A petition to sack the pair has now soared past 20,000 signatures, adding to the pressure on the show and its presenters.
On today's show, 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.
Tuesday's This Morning opened with a montage of emotional TV moments since Queen Elizabeth II's death.
The footage included a clip from inside the hall, without showing Holly and Phil as they walked past the monarch's coffin.
Holly 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.
"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."
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However fans were left unimpressed by their explanation - branding it a "pathetic excuse".
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."
