Phillip Schofield says he has nothing to apologise for over Queuegate
Watch: Philip Schofield says he has nothing to apologise for
Phillip Schofield has said he has nothing to apologise for with regards to the Queuegate controversy.
The This Morning host came under fired with co-star Holly Willoughby over accusations they "jumped the queue" at the late Queen's lying in state at London's Westminster Hall in September.
Schofield, 61, has now told GB News: "Why would I apologise? You’ve already seen that 700 other journalists did exactly the same thing."
Read more: Petition to axe This Morning's Hollyand Phillip reaches 73k signatures
Dan Wootton Tonight’s senior producer Ben Leo, approaching Schofield outside him home, said: "But they were accredited, and you never actually filmed anything. Nothing was ever broadcast."
Schofield replied: 'We weren’t allowed to film inside."
Leo said: "I think the problem is that you were never accredited", to which the TV presenter replied: "We were."
Challenged that it was the This Morning editors' names on the list and not his own and Willoughby's, Schofield said: "We didn't want to give our email addresses away."
He then added: "You're a bit late on the story mate."
Schofield also said: "I think it was a shame that what happened, happened."
Asked if her felt he and Willoughby, 41, were unfairly targeted he said: "We were."
ITV has said in a statement at the time: “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.”
Willoughby said on the show: "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...
"We of course respected those rules however we realise that it may have looked like something else and therefore we totally understand the reaction.
"Please know that we would never jump a queue."
Watch: Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield address queue-gate
Footage of Willoughby and Schofield at Westminster Hall came as other celebrities queued patiently like the rest of the public.
Former England captain David Beckham and Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid were among the famous faces who waited several hours to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state.
Reid queued for over seven hours and said it was "worth every minute".
Beckham said he felt compelled to queue for 12 hours – saying if his grandparents had been alive, they would have been there with him.
Award-winning actor Tilda Swinton was also spotted paying tribute to the late Queen. The Marvel star was seen filing past the coffin on Saturday, having queued with other mourners to visit the lying in state.
Reality star Sharon Osbourne made a pilgrimage to pay tribute to the late monarch, joining the queue and happily posing for photos with fans.
Read more: This Morning receives complaints over Holly and Phillip addressing queue-gate
Pop star James Blunt - who attended the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - was also sighted in the queue, as was Line of Duty actor Daniel Mays and Strictly Come Dancing professional Neil Jones who queued with his partner, Love Island star Chyna Mills for 10 hours.
Schofield recently stopped being the face of website We Buy Any Car and his wine range has been removed from supermarket shelves.