EXCLUSIVE: Was there a long line at the restaurant, Phil? Schofield looks downcast as he goes to dinner with daughter as the queue rages on
Under fire Phillip Schofield cuts a dejected figure on a night out with his daughter amid the effects of the royal queue storm.
The presenter looked tired and dejected in his first public off-screen appearance since he and This Morning co-star Holly Willoughby were accused of bypassing the 13-hour line waiting to see the Queen in state.
Dressed smartly in a gray sweater, jeans and a black jumper, Schofield appeared to be in deep conversation with his daughter Molly and her boyfriend Will Grieveson as they visited a restaurant near his West London home.
Out and about: Fired Phillip Schofield cuts a dejected figure on a night out with his daughter on Wednesday amid the fallout from the royal queue storm
They ate at the restaurant until 11pm on Wednesday, with waiters seemingly staying behind to serve them. “Staff were seen cleaning tables and packing as Schofield, 60, and his daughter continued eating and drinking,” a witness said. “Five minutes after they left, we also saw staff on their way home. Maybe they didn’t want to rush Phil.’
The topic of the dinner conversation could very well have been “queue gate,” as Molly is a talent manager at show business agency YMU, which has represented Schofield for more than two decades. She also leads stars such as Davina McCall and Rochelle Humes.
The next morning, Schofield was back on screen with Miss Willoughby, 41, his co-star on the ITV daytime show for 13 years.
The presenters used press accreditation to visit Westminster Hall last week, while other stars, including David Beckham and Susanna Reid, waited for hours with the audience.
ITV insist that neither Schofield nor Miss Willoughby jumped in line and were there in a professional capacity as part of the world media to cover the event.
A petition to stop This Morning’s presenters has reached more than 62,000 signatures and the row is said to have left Miss Willoughby (pictured with Schofield) in tears
The pair addressed the allegations in an 11-minute pre-recorded clip that aired Tuesday on This Morning, with Miss Willoughby saying, “We would never have queued.”
A petition to stop This Morning’s presenters has reached more than 62,000 signatures and the altercation is said to have left Miss Willoughby in tears.
She recently launched a lifestyle brand and has a £1 million deal with Marks & Spencer. Her representatives are deeply concerned about how her “girl next door” reputation is being tarnished.
A source said: ‘Brand Holly was a triumph, everyone loved her, her fan base was extraordinary, but the tide has turned.
Former This Morning host Eamonn Holmes called Miss Willoughby and Schofield “arrogant” yesterday. Pictured: A segment from the This Morning piece that Holly and Phil worked on professionally, according to ITV
“If you look at some of the comments out there, her popularity is staggering. Holly will be furious. She worked hard for this, but there are many close ones who think this has been an absolute PR disaster.’
Former This Morning host Eamonn Holmes called Miss Willoughby and Schofield “arrogant” yesterday.
The presenter, who had a long-standing feud with Schofield while they were both at ITV, added: ‘Let’s just tell the truth about the whole thing. They screwed up, and instead of being arrogant and saying, ‘We were working there as journalists,’ why don’t they just say, ‘Yeah, we thought it would be a good idea.’”