Queuegate was the ‘worst time’ for Holly Willoughby, according to broadcaster Petrie Hosken.
The TalkTV presenter said she reached out to Holly after the uproar after she and her This Morning co-host Philip Schofield were accused of jumping the queue to see Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II lying in state.
Mourners lined the streets of London for up to 20 hours to see the late monarch’s coffin in Westminster Hall in the days leading up to her funeral.
READ MORE: Holly Willoughby ‘almost quit This Morning’ after fallout with Phillip Schofield
Petrie – who has previously appeared on This Morning – was speaking on her late-night show on talkRADIO where she discussed the current feud rumours with Entertainment Broadcaster and Journalist, Josh Rom.
(Image: S Meddle/ITV/REX)
After discussing several topics such as Eurovision and the BAFTA TV Awards, the pair moved onto the recent rumours of a falling out between Phillip Schofield, 61, and Holly Willoughby, 42.
Josh pointed out that back in 2020, Holly left the management team she shared with Phil, and a host of other stars from ITV and this could have contributed to the fallout after Queuegate.
But Petrie thought that Holly bore the brunt of the public anger as she explained: “She was the lightning rod for that, she got all the blame for that.
“She got all the press, it was her picture on the front of the papers, not Phil as he somehow dodged it.”
(Image: TalkTV / News Broadcasting)
Later Petrie explained how she privately contacted to the star during the difficult time for the pair as they faced calls to have them replaced on This Morning.
She said: “I reached out to her actually, and sent her a message.
“And she said, This is the worst time of my life. It’s just been so horrible. So, you know, she really took the brunt of that.
“I’m very fond of, of Holly. I just don’t see how he can survive,” adding, “It’s not the happy ship it was. Let’s let’s put it that way.”
At the time of HM The Queen’s death, Holly and Phil were previously accused of jumping the queue to pay their respects, while the general public – and a number of famous faces including Susanna Reid – waited in line for hours.
A petition was launched to have them fired from This Morning, however they and ITV denied any wrongdoing, claiming they had been in the media line and done the same as many other journalists.
Holly went on to address the backlash on the long-running daytime programme, saying: “It was strictly for the purposes 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 we would be quickly escorted around the edges to a platform at the back.”
(Image: WireImage)
She also said: “We, of course, respected those rules, however, we realise it may have looked like something else.”
Months later, in January 2023, Schofe made a joke about Holly being “right at the front of the queue” to see a new film.
Viewers said at the time it appeared Phil had “dropped a right clanger” and they speculated Holly would be “tearing a strip off” him in the ad breaks.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
