Holly Willoughby has been 'hit hard' following the intense public backlash she and Phillip Schofield received after 'Queuegate'.
Both This Morning presenters were accused of jumping the queue to see the Queen lying in state following her death, and were met with vicious trolling after photos emerged of them at Westminster Hall. Holly, 41, can 'barely look at social media' following the backlash as a petition to get her and Phillip, 60, axed from their ITV show reaches 75,000 signatures.
However, the broadcaster issued a statement saying the presenters 'did not jump the queue, have VIP access or file past the Queen' and were there purely for work reasons. Despite their denial, Holly has faced a barrage of criticism online and is struggling to look at social media, reports the Mirror.
A source said to be close to the mum-of-three claimed: "Holly's had one of the worst weeks ever. There's so much hatred directed at her right now and she can't even bring herself to look at social media to see what people are saying.
"Holly's used to having this perfect reputation. She's been hit really hard by all this hostility and anger," reports Heat magazine.
The seasoned presenter caused widespread controversy after being accused of jumping the hours-long line to see the Queen lying in state earlier this month.
She and Phil were slammed on social media after footage emerged of the pals paying their respects at Westminster Abbey. However, Holly quickly tried to clarify what had happened.
Speaking in a pre-recorded voice-over as the now-infamous footage was aired for ITV viewers, she said: "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.
"None of the broadcasters and journalists took anyone's places in the queue and no one filed past the Queen. We of course respected those rules however we realised that it may have looked like something else and therefore we totally understand the reaction.
"Please know that we would never jump a queue."
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