This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield has refused to apologise for the 'queuegate' sandal which emerged back in August while the Queen lay in state at Westminster Hall.
It's the first time Phillip has spoken publicly about the fiasco, which also involved his colleague Holly Willoughby. The pair were accused of skipping the queue to see Her Majesty lying in state while others waited more than 13 hours - including former Manchester United legend David Beckham.
BBC footage caught the pair being whizzed through the hall in London, which caused public outrage and calls for them to be sacked.
Both Holly and Phillip denied that they queue jumped and insisted they were there for filming purposes – although he later claimed they were not allowed to film inside the hall, reports The Mirror.
Now, the 60-year-old has addressed the allegations for the first time and questioned why he should apologise.
Speaking on Dan Wootton's Tonight programme on GB News from his home, Phillip explained: "Why would I apologise?
"You've already seen that 700 other journalists did exactly the same thing."
After being asked whether he felt "vindicated" the Dancing On Ice presenter added: "I think that it was a shame that what happened, happened."
The presenter went on to claim that he and Holly were unfairly targeted after the incident.
Shortly after Holly and Phillip came under fire, a petition to have them removed from the ITV programme was launched and was signed by almost 79,000 people.
The presenting duo were forced to issue a statement live on This Morning, during which, they stated that they were given "official permission" to enter the hall.
Holly said: "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.
"None of the broadcasters and journalists there took anyone's place in the queue and no one filed past the Queen."
She continued: "We, of course, respected those rules – however, we realise that it may have looked like something else.
"And therefore, totally understand the reaction."
Meanwhile, ITV also issued a statement which read: "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."
While the late Queen Elizabeth II was lying in state, thousands of people queued day and night to pay tribute to the nation's longest-serving Monarch who died on September 8, 2022, aged 96.
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