Friday 23 September 2022 06:44 AM Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield 'were heckled while skipping the queue ... trends now
Under-fire This Morning hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were heckled by mourners as they skipped the 13-hour line to see the Queen lying in state.
The TV presenters have been blasted on social media this week after video showed them appearing to jump the queue at Westminster Hall on Friday, September 16.
Holly and Phil have defended themselves, saying they were there to report on the event 'for millions not able to visit in person'.
It has now been revealed that people waiting to pay their respects to Her Majesty shouted at the pair as they entered the hall via the VIP entrance, with one witness saying there was 'real hatred' for them.
Joe Tomkins, a builder from Nottingham, said he was outraged to reach the end of end of the queue only to find the broadcaster waltz past mourners.
The 41-year-old, who had been standing in line for 14 hours in frigid temperatures overnight, told The Sun: 'They walked straight past us all and a few people started shouting.
'People were saying, "Oi, Phil, Holly, get to the back of the queue!". Phil looked around and smiled as if to say, "We can do what we want".
'It angered a lot of people. People were saying, "How can they do this?" There was a real hatred for them, it wasn't right.'
Inside the hall: Holly and Phil have faced growing backlash over claims they 'skipped the queue' at Westminster Hall - they deny the claims and say they were given official permission to access the hall
Caught on camera: Holly and Phil were pictured entering the hall through a door which was clearly marked as not for public access - thought to be the entrance for media representatives
'It's spectacularly backfired': Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were keen to issue a public apology over 'queue-gate', but were talked out of it after taking legal advice, MailOnline can reveal (pictured on Thursday's show)
He added: 'People were tired, frustrated, some were crying, we all had to keep each other going, it was a graft. So to see those two sail past without a care in the world really angered us.'
Mr Tomkins added that it was in stark contrast to former footballer David Beckham, who was praised for queuing for 13 hours with members of the public to pay his respects when he could have got a VIP pass.
A spokesperson for ITV disputed the claims when speaking to The Sun last night, saying: 'This account is not a fair and accurate representation of what happened or of the timings of that day.
'Phillip and Holly did not file past the Queen's coffin. They were alongside a host of other broadcasters to cover the death of the Queen.'
Meanwhile, a source from This Morning told the paper: 'Phil and Holly actually stopped afterwards for selfies with many of the polite fans who asked.
'There was no ill will.'
Since it emerged the pair had not queued up with other mourners to get into Westminster Hall there has been a clamour for them to lose their jobs, with a petition calling for them to be fired reaching 50,000 signatures.
Such has been the backlash to the pair that TV insiders are raising 'serious concerns' about the presenters' wellbeing after they appeared tearful and muted on This Morning this week.
It was revealed yesterday that the pair had wanted to apologise on air for 'queue-gate' but were talked out of it after taking legal advice.
A statement was issued by ITV on Saturday and later broadcast on Tuesday's This Morning, which was voiced over by Holly, 41, but both stopped short of using the word 'sorry' - a move which left many viewers furious.
By Katie Hind, Consultant Editor Showbusiness for The Daily Mail
Dressed smartly in a grey jumper, jeans and a black jumper, Schofield (left) appeared to be deep in conversation with his daughter Molly (right) and her boyfriend Will Grieveson as they visited a restaurant near his west London home
Under-fire Phillip Schofield cuts a downcast figure on an evening out with his daughter amid the fallout from the royal queue storm.
The presenter looked tired and dejected in his first off-screen public appearance since he and This Morning co-star Holly Willoughby were accused of bypassing the 13-hour line waiting to see the Queen lying in state.
Dressed smartly in a grey jumper, jeans and a black jumper, Schofield appeared to be deep in conversation with his daughter Molly and her boyfriend Will Grieveson as they visited a restaurant near his west London home.
They dined at the restaurant until 11pm on Wednesday, with waiters seemingly staying behind to serve them.
‘The staff were seen cleaning tables and packing things away while Schofield, 60, and his daughter carried on eating and drinking,’ said a witness.
‘Five minutes after they left, staff were also seen heading home. Maybe they didn’t wanted to rush Phil.’
The topic of the dinner conversation could well have been ‘queue-gate’ as Molly is a talent manager at showbusiness agency YMU, who have represented Schofield for more than two decades. She also manages stars such as Davina McCall and Rochelle Humes.
The following morning, Schofield was once again back on screen with Miss Willoughby, 41, his co-star on the ITV daytime show for 13 years.
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