ITV deny Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were booed for skipping queue to see Queen

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.

Nottingham based builder Joe, said: “We were in the zig-zag line right at the end of the queue when we saw Phil and Holly. 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’,' he claimed to The Sun.

“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.”

Joe travelled to London to be part of the historic moment on Thursday night, arriving in the queue at around 1am on Friday.

Queuing in “freezing temperatures”, Joe went on to explain that people were becoming “tired” and “frustrated”, but added that there was a huge sense of camaraderie between the group as they supported each other with the gruelling task of standing in cold temperatures for so many hours.

This only added to the feelings of “anger” that stemmed from seeing Holly and Phil seemingly skip the line.

However, an ITV spokesperson said: "This account is untrue and is not a fair and accurate representation of what happened that day. Phillip and Holly were escorted by government staff to work from the media gallery.

"They did not file past the Queen's coffin and were there alongside a host of other broadcasters and national media in a professional capacity.”

An ITV source also added: “To the contrary, Phillip and Holly stopped to meet many that greeted them and had selfies. There was no ill will at all towards them.”


Holly and Phil have previously denied any claims that they skipped the queue, with Holly even seeking to clarify things on Tuesday’s episode of This Morning when she said: “It was strictly for reporting on the event for millions not able to visit in person.”

ITV have stood beside their stars and backed them all the way, releasing a statement to clarify that they were working members of the media.

In a statement released by This Morning, show bosses wrote: "We asked Phillip and Holly to be part of a film for this Tuesday's programme.

"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.”

Not everyone is convinced however, with an online petition to sack the presenting duo having reached over 50,000 signatures by Wednesday night.

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