Eamonn Holmes has wasted not time in making another dig at Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield. The GB News host first publicly commented on the pair's 'queue jump' row while hosting coverage of the Queen's state funeral earlier this week. It came after Holly and Phillip issued an explanation as to why they were seen seemingly bypassing the queue.
Following the news that Queen Elizabeth II had died 'peacefully' at Balmoral on September 8, the veteran presenter began hosting his Breakfast show alongside co-host Isabel Webster from outside Buckingham Palace. On Monday morning, ahead of the Queen's funeral, Eamonn was back alongside Isabel.
The pair were previewing the historic event, the first state funeral in 57 years, they also discussed the end of the late monarch's four days of lying in state, with it estimated that 250,000 filed past the Queen's coffin in Westminster Hall to pay their final respects.
READ MORE: Domino's trolls Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield after their 'non-apology' outrages fans
Eamonn's co-host introduced a guest "who suffered that queue and they were not of any insignificant age, we’ll be talking to them after this…" Taking the opportunity to have a pop at his rival ITV stars, the 62-year-old interrupted: "What, Holly and Phillip?" He got stunned looks and giggles from Isabel and their guests, who included Christopher Biggins.
And he's now done it again after Holly addressed her and Phillip's visit to Westminster Hall on This Morning on Tuesday. The presenting duo were accused of 'jumping the queue' when they were spotted in Westminster Hall on Friday. This Morning hit back at the claims over the weekend.
However, yesterday's show was the first time Holly and Phillip had been back on-screen since. Opening the show, they shared how they would be reflecting on the historic and moving event that was the Queen's funeral which has now been confirmed to have been watched by tens of millions across the country.
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 Monday's funeral. 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."
The explanation was slammed by viewers as a 'non-apology' and as people reacted on social media, it appears on tweet caught Eamonn's eye. @MissKG86 tweeted a picture of Eamonn grinning from ear-to-ear from a moment he surprised his wife, former This Morning co-star and Loose Women panellist Ruth Langsford.
Ruth could be seen with a glass of fix in one hand and the other over her mouth with whatever was in front of her clearly a surprise. "I always preferred @EamonnHolmes and @RutheeL #This Morning," the tweet read while text across the image said: "When you reach the front of the queue."
Eamonn soon replied, writing: "Ha Ha... Nice one," alongside a thumbs up emoji. Former Good Morning Britian star Piers Morgan, however, has spoke out in defence of his former ITV co-stars. "Full disclosure - I'm a good friend of Holly's, I feel so sorry for her," he said on his TalkTV show.
"She's absolutely distraught, I think, about the reaction. I genuinely think in her head that there was a blurring of the line about work - if you're working and you're covering it, I think a lot of journalists went through there. Isabel did, I know other journalists who did it and haven't been subjected to all of this."
It comes after Eamonn sparked concerns amongst his fans over a message about his chronic pain. The 62-year-old has been honest about his health battle in the last couple of years.
In a tweet posted at 1.30am on Tuesday morning, after speaking days away from the GB News studio to report outside, the TV presenter said: "Hello all my #ChronicPain sufferers... I know [it's] not much help but it does help a little I feel to know we are not alone. Therefore from time to time I make these posts so some of you can share stories and just talk to someone who knows what you are going through."
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