This Morning: Holly Willoughby addresses queue jumping claims
Phillip Schofield’s resignation from This Morning and ITV shocked the nation after his admission to an “unwise” affair with a younger colleague.
Intense scrutiny followed; he was dropped by his longtime agents, accused of lying to his co-star Holly Willoughby and ITV launched an ongoing investigation.
However, public opinion of the 61-year-old appeared to shift months before his affair scandal, beginning with the Queen’s death in September 2022.
Phillip and Holly suffered widespread backlash when they were accused of jumping the queue to see the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of mourners, including the likes of David Beckham and Susanna Reid, waited for hours to pay their respects to Her Majesty.
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The fury was intense when images showed the former co-presenters being ushered into the building alongside their This Morning colleagues via a closed-off area.
This Morning soon issued a statement to clarify that Phillip and Holly were able to gain access to the hall in a “professional capacity” to film a segment for the daytime show.
It stated: “They did not jump the queue, have VIP access or file past the Queen lying in state.”
Phil and Holly also addressed the furore live on the show, reiterating that they were given “official permission like hundreds of accredited broadcasters and journalists”.
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Holly said in a video: “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 respect walked along a carpeted area beside the coffin and were given time to pause.”
Despite their explanations, the pair did not seem to be forgiven and the incident has had a lasting impact.
One month later, they were booed while collecting an award at the National Television Awards and have gone on to be relentlessly mocked by their TV rivals.
While the former “darlings of daytime” appeared to brush the debacle under the carpet, Phillip has since revealed they were both “shell-shocked” by its impact.
Reflecting on “queuegate” following his resignation in May, Phillip claimed he “knew it was a bad thing to do”.
He told The Sun: “[Holly and I] were texting each other backwards and forwards afterwards. I said to Holly, ‘I knew I should have gone with my gut,’ and she said, ‘I know’.
“But we were shell-shocked, the both of us, completely shell-shocked by the reaction. What are the two things you don’t screw up? The Queen and a queue.”
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