The woman behind a petition to get Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield axed from This Morning has said it's "destroying" her.
20.09.2022 - 12:51 / variety.com
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.”
“The rules were that we would be quickly escorted around the edges to a platform to 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 there took anyone’s place in the queue and no-one filed past the Queen. We of course respected those rules however we realize it may have looked like something else and therefore totally understand the reaction. Please know that we would never jump a queue.” Footage of Schofield and Willoughby was captured last week as they walked into Westminster Hall via the press line, causing instant outrage online as they were accused of queue-jumping. Other celebrities, including the anchors’ ITV co-star Susanna Reid, soccer star David Beckham and even actor Tilda Swinton were all seen queuing overnight in a bid to pay
The woman behind a petition to get Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield axed from This Morning has said it's "destroying" her.
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.
ITV have denied claims Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were heckled by crowds at Westminster Hall as they were filming a segment at the Queen’s lying-in-state last week. Joe Thompkins, 41, claimed he watched the This Morning presenting duo breeze past thousands of mourners who were waiting in line as queues to see her late majesty at Westminster Hall exceeded over five miles long.
Holly Willoughby has broken her social media silence following the backlash she faced after being falsely accused of skipping 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.
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield returned to This Morning for the first time since they were embroiled in a 'queue jump' row. The pair were last seen on the ITV daytime show on Thursday (September 15) after the programme was cancelled on Friday for coverage of the King's first trip to Wales.