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The Chase’s Anne Hegerty has jumped to the defence of Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, after they were accused of ‘queue jumping’.

The Queen’s coffin has been lying in state in Westminster Hall since 3pm on Wednesday, arriving after the Royal Family accompanied her on foot in an emotional final farewell to Buckingham Palace.

The late monarch has been lying in state for four days, as the nation says goodbye at her funeral today.

While celebrities like David Beckham and Susanna Reid have garnered praise for queuing like other mourners, Holly and Phil were slammed with queue-skipping accusations after they were spotted paying their respects.

The TV duo looked sombre as they entered the hall on Friday to view the coffin, before they were led to a press gallery for separate viewing, both wearing lanyards.

An ITV source told Metro.co.uk that the presenters were there as credited members of the press, filming for Tuesday’s episode of This Morning, and later an official statement was released.

In response to the speculation, This Morning shared a statement on their Instagram page.

‘Hello everyone, we would like to clarify something’, they began.

‘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’.

While viewers have been slamming Holly and Phil, The Chase star Anne, also known as The Governess, jumped into their defence.

She took to Twitter to reply to several comments, writing on one: ‘My understanding is that Holly and Phil weren’t in a VIP line, they were in a press line and about to do a piece to camera.’

She elsewhere commented: ‘When you work, it’s a gig. When you get paid for that work, it’s a paid gig,’ and in a separate Tweet, addressed the backlash, writing: ‘You’re all being extremely rude.’

Anne isn’t the only celeb to defend the TV duo, as SAS: Who Dares Wins former chief instructor asking people to give them ‘a break.’

He penned: ‘Give Phil & Holly a break! U don’t want ‘Celebs’ to be treated different to the general public (I agree) but yet you also want them held accountable to propaganda, hearsay & every word they say!

‘They ARE treated differently and trust me when I say in a disadvantaged way! #ShoeFoot.’

Holly and Phil have been covering the events of the period of mourning on This Morning throughout this week, most recently saying they were ‘relieved’ to see Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton standing by their husbands’ sides after the Queen’s funeral procession.

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