This Morning stars Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have come under fire after appearing to skip the queue to see the Queen‘s coffin last week.
The backlash has been enormous, so much so that a petition has been created calling for This Morning, as well as Holly and Phillip, to be axed.
ITV This Morning stars Holly and Phillip under fire
For the past week, mourners have been queueing to see the Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall.
On Friday (September 16), Holly and Phillip were spotted looking sombre as they entered the hall.
An ITV source told the Metro that the duo were there as credited members of the press.
Rather than queue like the public, the presenting duo were led to a press gallery for a separate viewing.
Despite the pair being there as members of the press, the backlash has been intense.
Many have argued that they should have queued up just like everyone else.
The backlash intensified after it emerged that Susanna Reid opted to queue for 7+ hours and David Beckham queued for 12+ hours.
ITV This Morning issues a statement
Plenty of viewers took to Twitter to air their thoughts on the duo’s alleged queue-jumping.
“Respect to David Beckham and Susanna Reid for queuing for hours like everyone else but Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield can go [bleep] themselves for jumping the queue. Celebrities are not important and should never be put before anyone,” one viewer tweeted.
Following the backlash, This Morning released a statement on Instagram in an attempt to clear things up.
“Hello everyone, we would like to clarify something,” the statement read.
“We asked Phillip and Holly to be part of a film for this Tuesday’s programme,” it continued.
“They did not jump the queue, have VIP access or file past the Queen lying in state – but instead were there in a professional capacity as part of the world’s media to report on the event.”
The statement still hasn’t stopped furious viewers from slamming the pair.
Petition for show to be axed
The petition, which is calling for the long-running show to be axed, has branded This Morning “damaging”.
“Thousands of people are lining up overnight to pay respects to the Queen, where they will likely wait up to 24 hours,” it says.
“Yet Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield, two hosts of one of the most damaging to mental health day time tv show This Morning, were able to push past those thousands and get immediate access,” it continues.
“ITV should be ashamed of exploiting the situation. I’d like to see This Morning axed for good as I do believe it causes more harm than good, without people noticing. For example, like turning cost of living anxiety into a game show.”
The petition then calls for Holly and Phillip to be axed, branding them “toxic”.
At the time of writing, the petition has racked up over 7,100 signatures.
Read more: Eamonn Holmes ‘wades into Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby queue-jumping row’
This Morning airs on weekdays from 10am on ITV and ITV Hub.
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