
The woman behind the online petition calling for Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield to be axed from This Morning has said the campaign is ‘kind of destroying me’.
The Change.org page was launched shortly after the This Morning presenters appeared in Westminster Hall to see the Queen lying in state earlier this month to film a segment for their ITV show.
The pair ignited an almighty backlash after many were under the impression they queue jumped, however, they stressed they ‘respected’ the rules set for the media in a pre-recorded statement.
At the time of writing, the petition has since surpassed 75,000 signatures, but its creator, Laura Harrison, has revealed they are now taking a step back.
In an update, they wrote: ‘I want to begin the week on a more positive note, and I don’t want to think about the programme anymore. It’s kind of destroying me. Words will be twisted, but the intent was always to prevent people being hurt time and time again by these TV shows.
‘I’ve asked ITV to deliver any responses relating to this to the public and not to me, as I won’t be following the news, or watching the programme, or sharing anything online, or through social media.


‘I want nothing more than for this topic to end.’
The update concluded: ‘I want positivity, not hostility and negativity. The concerns raised by this have been shared with Ofcom and ITV, and that’s all I can do.’
The post comes as the chief executive of ITV said the This Morning co-presenters were safe in their jobs, despite the thousands of signatures calling for their departure.
Dame Carolyn McCall praised their work for the broadcaster while also saying that Schofield and Willoughby were ‘misrepresented’ over claims they skipped ahead of those waiting in line.

Speaking at the RTS London Convention, Dame Carolyn was asked what they did wrong.
She replied: ‘Honestly, nothing. Honestly. They did have accreditation. Lots of people saying they didn’t. They were sent by This Morning to do a piece for September 20, which ran.
‘They were to interview people inside and outside. They didn’t displace anyone in the queue. And they’ve been very misrepresented, actually.’
She continued: ‘And that’s why we made a statement. Unusually, we made a statement to say all of those things. But it does show you how things spread and how misinformation just spreads. And it is really horrible for them.’
Dame Carolyn dismissed the idea they had been ‘cancelled’ before adding: ‘I think they’re highly relevant and still very topical, and I think the majority of their viewers love watching them.
‘But there is a very shrill kind of voice against and it will hurt them.’