If you thought the British public were going to let Phil and Holly off the hook for queue jumping at the Queen’s funeral, think again; the petition to have them booted off This Morning is nearing 35,000 signatures at time of writing.
This comes despite the ITV presenters insisting that they did not queue jump, but that they understand ‘it may have looked like something else.’ Holly explained on the show yesterday:
“Like 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 UK who haven’t been able to visit Westminster in person.
The rules were we would be quickly escorted around the edges to a platform at the back.”
She continued:
“In contrast, those paying respects walked along a carpeted area beside the coffin, and were given time to pause.
None of the broadcasters or journalists there took anyone’s place in the queue and no one filed past the Queen.
We of course respected those rules, however we realised that it may have looked like something else and therefore totally understand the reaction.”
This Morning has also come out in support of Schofield and Willoughby in an Instagram post that read:
“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.”
It does seem like a bit of an overreaction to get so wound up over this, especially considering this is all over a queue to honour one of the most privileged people in world history, who probably never joined a queue in her life.
Then again, Phil & Holly have been involved in a series of slip-ups recently. Their ‘spin the wheel to pay your energy bills’ competition sparked huge backlash for its tone-deaf, Black Mirror-esque vibe, and Phil allegedly cheated on his wife with an 18-year-old boy he’d known for six years. The fact that it was queue jumping that proved to be the final straw is just peak Britain tbh.
There are also murmurs that Holly Willoughby is considering quitting the show herself, because the backlash is proving to be too great. We’ll have to wait and see whether people calm down over the whole thing, but it’s not looking great for them at the moment.
Meanwhile, David Beckham stood in line for 13 HOURS with the rest of the peasants. Fair play to him.
