Holly Willoughby has sent a clear message to viewers of This Morning despite facing backlash in recent weeks. The presenter and her co-host Phillip Schofield came under fire last month when they were accused of 'queue jumping' to see the Queen lying in state.
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the hosting duo returned to the ITV daytime show for a series of special shows paying tribute to the late monarch. Days before her state funeral, on September 19, hundreds of thousands of people queued for miles, and for hours, across London in order to file past the Queen's coffin as she was lying in state in Westminster Hall.
On September 16, Holly and Phillip were spotted inside the historic venue on the same day David Beckham was seen queuing for 12 hours with members of the public to pay his final respects to the Queen, who died aged 96 in Balmoral.
The day after they were spotted, This Morning issued a statement on the programme’s Instagram account. It said: "Hello everyone, we would like to clarify something. 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."
Then, a couple of days later following the Queen's state funeral, the pair returned to screens and issued another explanation. Holly addressed the outrage in a video documenting the events of the last couple of weeks, from finding out the Queen had died right up until the late monarch's funeral. During the VT, the mum-of-three could be heard saying in a voiceover as footage showed them outside Westminster Hall: "Like hundreds of 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 that we would be quickly escorted around the edges to a platform at the back. In contrast, those paying respects walked along a carpeted area beside the coffin and were given time to pause." She continued: "None of the broadcasters and journalists there took anyone's place in the queue and no one filed passed the Queen. We, of course, respected those rules, however, we realise that it may have looked like something else and therefore totally understand the reaction."
After fan's initial concern for Holly, 41, she has since been back on top form and took to Instagram on Wednesday evening ahead of the National Television Awards to encourage This Morning viewers to vote while also sharing her love for those who tune into the show every day.
She posted a montage of images from the glitzy showbiz bash, which takes place tonight (Thursday) and airs live on ITV, from throughout the years, showing off her collection of dazzling gowns and her and Phillip's 'hungover' appearances on This Morning the day after the big night.
The mum-of-three set the video of behind-the-scenes snaps to Fleetwood Mac track 'Everywhere' and added a link to the vote. "Tomorrow is my favourite night in the TV calendar and @thismorning is up for an @officialntas... Thank you!" She then added: "We LOVE you," alongside a red heart emoji.
The National Television Awards were postponed from September following the Queen's death . The prize ceremony was due to take place on September 15 from Wembley’s OVO Arena but it will now be held tonight, Thursday, October 13.
Among the nominees for an award alongside This Morning is the late Tom Parker who has been posthumously shortlisted for a documentary about the charity concert he organised six months before his death aged 33 in aid of cancer research. Presenting duo Ant and Dec, who have had to pull out of attending the event due to both testing positive for Covid, Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway and stars from the hit Netflix series Bridgerton are also among the stars competing for a gong.
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