Kirstie Allsopp's dig at 'Queen queue jumpers' amid Holly and Phil backlash

K.J. Yossman ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall defended the network’s morning show anchors Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby over allegations that they skipped a five-mile long queue to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state two weeks ago. Ever since Schofield and Willoughby, who host “This Morning” were seen on the live-feed of the lying-in-state, walking through Westminster Hall via the VIP line, the duo have been the subject of much criticism, particularly on social media. A petition titled ‘Axe Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby from TV’ has amassed over 75,000 signatures. Speaking at the Royal Television Society (RTS) annual convention in London on Tuesday afternoon, McCall defended Schofield and Willoughby and said that ITV had even contacted Domino’s Pizza U.K. to complain about a light-hearted tweet the pizza company had posted poking fun at the controversy.

It's been a remarkable week for Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, to say the least. The duo faced massive backlash after being accused of jumping the queue to see the Queen lying-in-state.

Amanda Holden has made a sly dig at This Morning hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield for "jumping the queue" to see the Queen Lying-in-State last week. There has been massive backlash for the longterm presenters of This Morning, when Holly, 41, and Phillip, 60, could be seen lining up in Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the late monarch on Friday, however, their 'media passes' meant that they were fast-tracked ahead of thousands of others who had queued for up to 24 hours. A petition to have them axed from the show has reached nearly 60,000 signatures, and celebrities from Eamonn Holmes and Amanda Holden to Piers Morgan have waded into the row.

Former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes appeared to take a dig at his former co-stars Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield after the backlash over "queue jumping". Holly and Phil have been at the centre of backlash from viewers after they viewed the Queen's coffin at Westminster Hall last week, insisting they were there as journalists to report on the event. Despite addressing the backlash on Tuesday's show, the pair still have unimpressed viewers who are refusing to accept their side of the story.

K.J. Yossman “This Morning” anchors Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby addressed accusations they “queue-jumped” the 5-mile long line to visit Queen Elizabeth II lying in state last week. In a pre-recorded segment at the opening of the show on Tuesday morning, the duo took viewers through a montage of events that took place since the Queen’s death on Sept. 8, from the news breaking to her lying-in-state in Westminster Hall last week. Alongside footage of Schofield and Willoughby outside Westminster Hall, where they spoke to members of the public who had queued to see the Queen, Willoughby said in a voice-over: “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 U.K. who haven’t been able to visit Westminster in person.”

This Morning hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have broken their silence over the criticism they've faced since visiting the Queen's Lying-in-State at Westminster Hall. Phil, 60, and Holly, 41, have faced backlash after they were spotted walking past queuing mourners and paying their respects in a different line to the public, even leading to a petition to have the two presenters axed. ITV has since been forced to release a statement clarifying they were there in a professional capacity with "press accreditation", insisting: "They did not file past The Queen's coffin", adding: "Any allegations of improper behaviour are categorically untrue." Holly and Phillip appeared on Tuesday's This Morning after the show took a break so ITV could cover the Queen's funeral on 19 September.