Phillip Schofield isn't known for his social media presence but the presenter has broken his Instagram silence for the first time since facing backlash alongside his co-star and close friend Holly Willoughby. The This Morning stars were accused of jumping the public queue to see the Queen lying in state.
Phillip and Holly were seen on Friday, September 16 inside Westminster Hall where Queen Elizabeth II's coffin was placed for four days with hundreds of thousands of people queuing for miles across London in order to pay their final respects to the late monarch.
However, This Morning quickly hit back at the claims that their presenters skipped the queue, which at its peak reached a 14-hour wait for those wanting to pay their final respects to Queen Elizabeth II following her death on September 8, aged 96.
During their first day back on This Morning following their appearance on Tuesday, September 20, Holly addressed the outrage in a video documenting the events of the last couple of weeks, from finding out the Queen had died right up until the late monarch's funeral.
During the VT, the mum-of-three could be heard saying in a voiceover as footage showed them outside Westminster Hall: "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."
It has since been revealed that This Morning has been hit with official complaints. Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom confirmed it has received 55 complaints in the last week following their explanation for being at Westminster Hall. I TV's boss has also since spoken out in Holly and Phillip's defence.
Holly, 41, has since returned to social media, posting her daily outfit details ahead of her appearance on This Morning from Monday to Thursday while also sharing some insights into her family life with her children and pet pooch, Bailey.
But Phillip has remained quieter, until yesterday (Friday), sharing a thank you with his millions of followers after receiving some beautiful flowers. Posting a photo of a bunch of sunflowers in a vase, the TV star wrote: "Sunflowers always make me smile." He added: "Thank you," without sharing if they were bought for him.
Fans weren't able to comment on the post as he put restrictions on his page but bestie Holly was quick to post a string of bright flower emojis in the comments section.
Phillip also took to his Instagram Story with a selfie taken in the ITV studio during the latest episode of This Morning. The 60-year-old stood in between Gino D'Acampo and Gok Wan. Gino 'took over' the popular programme, causes chaos as he returned to the show for the first time in months.
He got involved with most of the segments throughout the programme, including fashion with Gok who was showing off some seasonal animal print looks. The trio grinned for the camera with Phillip writing alongside the snap: "Love these guys," alongside a s miling face with three hearts emoji.
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