This Morning stars Dermot O'Leary admitted he felt 'overwhelmed' as he and Alison Hammond were given a special and emotional duty to perform as they and the show returned to screens for the first time since The Queen's death
In the aftermath of Her Majesty's passing on Thursday at the age of 96, ITV made significant changes to its programming, with This Morning, Lorraine and Loose Women all scrapped from its schedule on Friday as airtime was devoted to the events following The Queen's death.
In a break with tradition, Good Morning Britain aired on both Saturday and Sunday and, after it and a news special of King Charles III's visit to the Place of Westminster went out on Monday morning, This Morning followed in the later slot of 11am-1pm.
READ MORE: Prince Harry pays heartfelt tribute to Queen's 'everlasting legacy'
Main hosting duties were bestowed on Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, with Holly sharing her son's moving tribute to The Queen. And Alison and Dermot's special role saw them head out to Buckingham Palace and nearby Green Park to look at some of the countless tributes laid in Queen Elizabeth II's honour, as well as speaking to some of the many people who'd felt compelled to leave one.
Looking at all the bunches and bouquets around them, Dermot said it was 'quite overwhelming' to see the sheer number of them as well as the emotion of it all, while Alison remarked: "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I've never seen so many floral tributes. It's just stunning."
Alison added: "Everyone wants to pay their respects, contemplate what she meant to them," as Dermot replied: "It is contemplation; you just feel like the atmosphere is not sad at all. It's just respectful."
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