This Morning bosses are at a "crossroads" over whether to pull an upcoming segment, after a backlash over the mistaken belief Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield skipped the queue to see the Queen lying in statement.
There was fury last week when a photo appeared to show the daytime TV hosts in a fast track lane to pay their respects to the Queen in Westminster Abbey, which was further amped up by fellow celebs Susanna Reid and David Beckham waiting many hours in line with members of the public.
Amid demands for the pair to be sacked and vicious trolling, This Morning issued a statement yesterday, which explained the Holly, 41, and Phillip, 60, were in the abbey to film a segment for the show, to be aired tomorrow.
Show bosses are now torn over whether to air the segment, according to an ITV insider. Holly and Phil have yet to address the situation publicly.
Despite the statement from ITV clarifying the situation, some viewers took to social media to say they would be boycotting the show when it returns tomorrow.
However other viewers have supported the pair, hitting out at the unfair treatment of the hosts.
An ITV source told the Mirror: "This Morning are at a crossroads over if they run Holly and Phil's segment from the abbey - there have been a lot of discussions about how to air the footage especially with the horrific backlash.
"Everyone feels for Holly and Phil as they were just doing their job as working media but the whole thing has turned into a Twitter storm - bosses are even unsure whether to run it or not."
The statement in full from This Morning, which was released on the show's Instagram page, said: "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.”
This Morning bosses decided to clear the air to quash any more unfounded abuse, The Mirror understands.
A photo on Friday showed Holly and Philip in all black in a queue, as they, we now know, prepared to film a segment for This Morning.
Phillip was seen on the BBC News live stream of Westminster Hall at around 10am. He opted to wear a smart black suit and tie for the visit, with a serious look on his face as he followed behind his co-star.
Holly appeared in front of her friend and colleague and at one point was seen looking back with tears filling her eyes.
The presenter 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.
ITV News' Mary Nightingale could also be seen behind them.
The Mirror has approached ITV for comment.
