Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield subdued their usual bubbly selves and suppressed their inner upset during their return to This Morning, a body language expert has said.
The TV presenting duo, who are at the helm of the ITV morning show, were hit with severe trolling after being falsely accused of skipping the public queue when seeing Queen Elizabeth II lying-in-state.
Holly and Phil were in the media queue as they were reporting from Westminster and did not jump the line.
After breaking their silence on Tuesday, during which they said they "understood" the anger that people felt towards them, the pair returned on Wednesday and appeared noticeably more subdued.
Sharing her thoughts on their body language, Judi James gave her thoughts on how the pair were really feeling as they attempted to hide their upset.
She told the Mirror: "There’s a slightly subdued air here from the couple that have pretty much made the word ‘bubbly’ their own.
"Phil’s hand clasp suggests some tension while Holly wears a slight ‘knowing’ smile as though she is aware of the ongoing drama about the funeral queue. Her smiles are usually wide and include a display of teeth but her lips are close here, making it a tempered smile rather than a totally upbeat one.
"Holly’s hand clasp meets her hand with her own wrist, which can suggest a desire to suppress emotions or any active gesticulation. She also seems to be rocking from side to side slightly, which, again, could suggest some inner tension or upset."
It comes after a petition to axe Holly and Phil doubled its signatures in 24 hours as it reached 50,000.
The petition - labelled ''Axe Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby from TV' was set launched on Saturday by Laura Harrison, who called the duo 'toxic.'
"If enough people sign we can show ITV that the public do matter," wrote Laura.
The original target for the online petition was 15,000 but it was then increased to 50,000, which it has now surpassed.
