Domino's has waded into Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield's 'queue jump' row with a very obvious dig on social media. The pizza delivery company jumped on the bandwagon after This Morning viewers were left outraged by the show's attempts to explain why the presenters were spotted in Westminster Hall last week.
The ITV daytime show's hosting duo were accused of 'jumping the queue' to see the Queen lying in state on Friday (September 16). Phillip, 60, was seen in a smart black suit and tie for the visit, with the presenter sporting a sombre look on his face as he followed behind his co-star.
Holly, 41, appeared in front of her friend and colleague and at one point was seen looking back with tears appearing to fill her eyes. The mum-of-three looked elegant in a black dress with silver button detailing along the front. She tied her long blonde locks back with a black scrunchie and wore a matching black mask.
But their appearance inside Westminster Hall quickly caused backlash after hundreds of thousands of people queued for up to 14 hours to pay their final respects to Queen Elizabeth II following her death on September 8, aged 96, at Balmoral. This Morning hit back at the claims over the weekend.
In a statement on the programme’s Instagram account, a message read: "Hello everyone, we would like to clarify something. 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."
Viewers, however, were eagerly awaiting Holly and Phillip's return to screens and following the Queen's state funeral on Monday, the pair were on hand to reflect on the historic and moving event that is believed to have been watched on TV by billions across the globe. Holly, wearing a black pinafore dress over a white shirt, said: "Hello, good morning and welcome to Tuesday's show. As a new chapter in history begins with the reign of King Charles III, we're taking a look back on the 11 days."
They then moved into a montage which featured clips of their coverage of the Queen's death, starting from the moment they went off air hours before Her Majesty's death was announced right up until the funeral which took place yesterday.
As footage of the Queen lying in state was aired, Holly could be heard saying in a voiceover: "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."
She continued: "None of the broadcasters and journalists there took anyone's place in the queue and no one filed passed 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."
Viewers have seen expressed their outrage, slamming it as a non-apology, and Domino's appeared to take advantage. A tweet from their account read: "Apologies to anyone waiting on their pizza, we've just received an order from Holly and Phil #ThisMorning."
The post has since racked up more than 70,000 likes with thousands more sharing and commenting. @sjmillery said: "You know it's bad when it's used like this." @JPA_1 wrote: "Brilliant! Their marketing guy/gal should get a big bonus!" @Curtis18583268 replied: "Dominos with the tweet of the day!"
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