Piers Morgan wades in to defend 'distraught' Holly Willoughby as her and Phillip Schofield's 'axe' petition gathers pace

Piers Morgan has waded in to defend Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield after their 'queue jump' explanation didn't go down well with fans. As they returned to This Morning on Tuesday, the hosting duo were forced to explain what happened when they were spotted inside Westminster Hall while the Queen was lying in state.

Hundreds of thousands of people queued for up to 14 hours to pay their final respects to Her Majesty following her death, aged 96, at Balmoral on September 8, before she was laid to rest on Monday in a state funeral held at Westminster Abbey and at St George's Chapel in Windsor.

Appearing on This Morning on Tuesday, Holly addressed the controversy in a VT which documented the pair's visit to Westminster Hall. Holly, wearing a black pinafore dress over a white shirt, said: "Hello, good morning and welcome to Tuesday's show. As a new chapter in history begins with the reign of King Charles III, we're taking a look back on the 11 days."

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They then introduced a video montage which featured clips of their coverage of the Queen's death, starting from the moment they went off air hours before Her Majesty's death was announced right up until the funeral on Monday. It also included clips of them talking to people outside Westminster Hall and discussing the feeling from inside as people said their goodbyes to the nation's longest-reining monarch.

As they moved on to the four days of the Queen lying in state, viewers heard the pair explain how they were able to enter Westminster Hall and how they didn't file past the Queen's coffin like those who had queued for hours to pay their final respects.