Phillip & Holly reportedly, 'distraught'
This Morning's Phillip and Holly are reportedly, 'distraught,' amid backlash for, 'skipping,' the queue to see the Queen lying in state.
The duo addressed the criticism on Tuesday morning's show, insisting they were there as, 'accredited broadcasters and journalists,' to report on the event.
That's why they didn't join the public queue, which had a wait time of up to 20 hours.
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Their response to the criticism however, was met with even more criticism from many requesting a sincere apology.
Behind the scenes, according to the Mirror, Phillip and Holly are in an awful state.
A source claimed the whole situation has, 'taken a huge emotional toll on both Holly and Phil. They have been left distraught.'
'They're devastated by the reaction and the way the false claim they skipped the queue took off on social media.'
'Holly has been in tears, and Phil has been very upset.'
'But they were determined to face the criticism head-on on Tuesday's show and not shy away from it.'
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The insider added, 'They hope they can now draw a line under it, and that people understand the context.'
'The irony of all of this is that they headed down to Westminster to work on their day off on Friday, and spent the entire weekend working on the footage, as they were so determined to deliver extra coverage for the viewers about the Queen.'
'For them to then get accused of not working, and then not being worthy of media accreditation to do their job, is just obscene.'
A petition
A petition has even been set up to have the duo axed from This Morning, and so far, it has over 38,000 signatures.
However, the show made it clear they stand by their presenters when they released a statement revealing, '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.'
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Read Phillip and Holly's statement on the situation here.
