The woman who created a petition to get Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield axed from This Morning has begged for 'queuegate' to "come to an end".
The Change.org petition has now been signed by more than 76,000 people and was launched in response to the ITV presenters being hit with waves of criticism. They were accused of jumping the queue to see the Queen lying in state, however ITV bosses defended them as they said they were actually working at the time.
The online petition, created by Laura Harrison, claimed that Holly and Phil were “given privileges that deprived others” as thousands waited in the queue to pay their respects for up to 24 hours. But now she has given an update on the page to say that she "wants positivity, not hostility and negativity."
READ MORE: Holly Willoughby raises concern as she shares 'emotional' hug with son Chester
The update in full read: "I’ve asked ITV to deliver any responses relating to this to the public and not to me, as I won’t be following the news, or watching the programme, or sharing anything online, or through social media. I want nothing more than for this topic to end.
"I want positivity, not hostility and negativity. The concerns raised by this have been shared with Ofcom and ITV, and that’s all I can do."
Phil and Holly addressed the concerns themselves on This Morning. In a pre-recorded statement, they said: "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 have not 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. None of the broadcasters and journalists there took anyone’s place in the queue and no one filed past 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. Please know that we would never jump a queue.”
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