It is fair to say that Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have been in for a rough ride in the past week.
The This Morning presenters were accused of skipping the queue to see the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall before the monarch’s funeral on Monday.
Clips of them walking past thousands of people lining up to see the sovereign’s coffin were shown in stark contrast to retired footballer David Beckham and fellow ITV presenter Susanna Reid queuing for hours to pay their respects.
Holly and Phillip released a pre-recorded statement for the ITV programme on Tuesday insisting they would “never jump a queue” and explained they had media accreditation.
But that did not appease some fans, with a petition calling for the duo to be axed from television reaching 50,000 signatures.
ITV has backed the presenters and they are understood to have vowed not to quit their jobs.
However, it is not the first time the TV stars or a programme they have worked on have attracted controversy.
This Morning's Spin To Win complaints
It was a segment that was designed to help viewers through the cost of living crisis currently engulfing the UK.
But instead it sparked hundreds of formal complaints against This Morning.
Marking Schofield and Willoughby’s return from their summer break on September 7, the episode saw a new take on the regular “Spin To Win” game in which players can win several prizes – including cash.
Amid soaring inflation in the UK and rising gas prices, producers at ITV decided to give away “ Energy Bills ” assistance as part of the game.
But the decision did not go down well, with some viewers branding it “dystopian”.
Others were critical that the well-paid stars were treating the issue in what some felt was a flippant manner.
Willoughby is, according to Leeds Live, paid £730,000 a year to host This Morning, with Schofield said to be on similar money.
The daytime show has been on the receiving end of almost 400 complaints to Ofcom, the TV watchdog, after the segment.
The format was changed slightly afterwards, with the wheel including money prizes ranging from £1,000 to £3,000, as well as the option to win the chance to have household bills paid for.
Schofield appeared to address the criticism during the giveaway game.
As the latest competitor won £3,000, the hosts celebrated, before Phillip said: "I wonder how much of that they can complain about online."
David Cameron ambush interview
Schofield, 60, was forced to apologise after he ambushed former prime minister David Cameron during a live This Morning interview with a list of alleged Tory paedophiles.
In 2012, he handed the then Conservative Party leader a piece of paper containing five names he said he had gathered after a quick glance at the internet.
But the stunt was later branded “trial by Twitter ” as a shocked Mr Cameron warned it could lead to a witch-hunt against gay people.
Schofield had to issue a grovelling apology after it was revealed he had accidentally flashed the names on camera.
Ofcom investigated the incident after receiving 415 complaints from viewers.
Schofield and ITV later paid £125,000 compensation to settle a libel suit from one of those falsely accused, Lord McAlpine.
Celebrity Juice sexism concerns
Willoughby was one of the team captains on programme Celebrity Juice — ITV’s irreverent, innuendo-ridden comedy game show with host Keith Lemon (played by comic Leigh Francis) — for 12 years.
The show regularly looked to get co-captains Ferne Cotton and Willoughby in compromising positions, including during one episode when they had to jointly pick up an olive with their tongues.
Some critics claimed the show, which Willoughby left in 2020 and was axed by ITV this year, was sexist.
Francis used to dub the mother-of-three “Willoughbooby” and was known to come out with lines such as: “Even though you are up the duff and getting old, I would still smash your back doors in…”
But Willoughby, 41, defended the show, which was produced by her husband Dan Baldwin.
She told The Guardian in 2018: “Yes, he’s [Leigh Francis] cheeky, and yes, he’s naughty, but he’s actually the butt of our jokes. It’s us that are the empowered two.
“I know what you’re going to ask. Sexist. It’s a good opportunity to say – no. Because I think we are so in control and so in charge of that situation.
“It’s light, it’s cheeky, it’s not offensive. Occasionally [Francis] can say the odd thing, and even he goes, oooh. But it’s quite a unique show, actually. There’s not many shows that have that sense of freedom.”
