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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Petition to axe Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield from TV reaches 73,000 signatures

A petition calling for Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield to be removed from television altogether has now reached 73,000 signatures.

The ITV presenters were falsely accused of skipping the queue to see the late Queen lying in state earlier this month.

The popular This Morning duo have faced stringing criticism after photos emerged of them at Westminster Abbey paying their respects to the late sovereign.

People waited for up to 26 hours to walk past the coffin - but they addressed the backlash they have faced on their daytime show and assured people they "would never jump the queue".

Holly, 41, and 60-year-old Phillip explained that, as members of the press, they did not have to wait in line as they were reporting on the events.

This Morning quickly issued a statement clarifying that the two stars 'did not jump the queue, have VIP access or file past the Queen lying in state' and were there purely for work reasons.

But that hasn't been enough to stop thousands demanding they don't appear on TV again.

The petition - labelled ''Axe Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby from TV' was set launched last Saturday by irate Laura Harrison, who called the duo 'toxic.'

She says she wants bosses to sit up and take notice after a growing number of complaints at ITV.

The original target for the online petition was 15,000 but it was then increased to 50,000.

There have been calls for them to be replaced - and a petition has more than 73,000 signatures (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

The latest update read: "Over 70,000 people have now signed the petition. To put that into perspective the UK’s largest stadium, Wembley Stadium, is almost at full capacity.

"In most industries one or two complaints made against staff or their employer, would be enough for their managers to raise concerns and check what happened, for apologies to be made, and in some cases, grievances.

"In precarious gig economy roles, those one or two complaints can cost people their jobs, and if three hundred complained about one or two members of staff, I’m sure it wouldn’t go unnoticed by their managerial board."

Last week, Holly looked to clarify what happened in a VT, as the now-infamous footage was aired for ITV viewers.

Anger grew against them with even David Beckham waiting in line for 12 hours to see the Queen's coffin (AFP via Getty Images)

She 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 haven’t 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 took anyone's places in the queue and no one filed past the Queen.

"We of course respected those rules however we realised that it may have looked like something else and therefore we totally understand the reaction.

"Please know that we would never jump a queue."

It comes after claims the stars' names were not on the official accreditation list for their infamous visit to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state.

ITV have denied the claims, telling the Mirror Online: "Phillip and Holly had full accreditation which was organised by the This Morning production team. Any claims otherwise are untrue."

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