Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby's queue jumping defended by Anne Hegerty
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Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby's alleged queue jumping to get a look at the Queen's coffin has been defended by The Chase star Anne Hegerty.
Following the backlash, the This Morning presenters were forced to deny that any queue jumping occured and that they were filming a segment for their TV show.
Read more: 'This Morning' stars Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby pay respects at Queen's lying in state
Hagerty defended them on Twitter, saying: "My understanding is that Holly and Phil weren't in a VIP line, they were in a press line and about to do a piece to camera."
She also called critics of Schofield and Willoughby as "extremely rude".
Hagerty later clarified her comments after being called out on Twitter: "Yes, I was wrong about them doing a piece to camera from Westminster Hall. But I was right that they were there to work. They were being escorted from one part of the hall to another by people whose job it is to escort those with media accreditation."
Yes, I was wrong about them doing a piece to camera from Westminster Hall. But I was right that they were there to work. They were being escorted from one part of the hall to another by people whose job it is to escort those with media accreditation.
— Anne Hegerty (@anne_hegerty) September 19, 2022
Thousands of members of the public have been waiting for up to 24 hours to see the Queen's coffin before she was laid to rest at Westminster Abbey this morning.
After criticism was aimed at the presenter duo for allegedly jumping the five mile long queue, ITV issued a statement in an attempt to clarify the situation.
They said: "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."
An additional statement said: "They did not file past the Queen's coffin. They were there alongside a host of other broadcasters and national press outlets for an item that will be broadcast on Tuesday's show. Any allegations of improper behaviour are categorically untrue."
Watch below: This Morning's Holly Willoughby and Phillip Scofield see the Queen in Westminster Abbey.
