The channel is reportedly putting together a bumper new deal for Holly Willoughby in an attempt to keep her from quitting This Morning. The rumours come as ITV came under fire last year over Holly and Phillip Schofield faced a huge backlash in the run-up to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral when they were involved in the “Queuegate” scandal at the monarch’s lying in state. Following this, it’s rumoured Holly could leave her role on the show.
Holly, 42, has been a favourite on This Morning since she joined 14 years ago.
Her contract expires in December but renewal negotiations have not yet started.
Following last year’s controversy, sources have claimed Holly could leave the programme after being left “devastated” by the scandal.
The This Morning pair were accused of skipping the miles-long queue at Westminster Abbey ahead of the late Queen’s funeral.
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The incident sparked a huge public backlash and a flood of Ofcom complaints.
A source told The Mirror: “The Queuegate backlash was absolutely devastating for Holly, but what made matters worse was the feeling it was mishandled.
“ITV’s decision to remain silent before finally issuing a statement was frustrating, as it felt like they were shutting the door after the horse had bolted.
“Then, to add insult to injury, Holly was left to explain the pair’s decision by herself, while Phil remained silent.
Months on from the queuing scandal though, the duo are continuing to face criticism.
At the end of last month, TV personality Kim Woodburn furiously stated Holly and Phillip should have lost their jobs over the incident.
Despite Holly and Phil explaining that they were granted access to Westminster in a journalistic capacity, Kim fumed that, as far as she is concerned, “they were not asked to cover the Queen’s funeral”.
Appearing on the Not My Bagg podcast, hosted by Gogglebox stars Joe and George Baggs, Kim ranted: “They sneaked in and they put these press things they got, they sneaked in because they wouldn’t stand in a queue, they are far too high and mighty.
“Don’t listen to another word they say. They were not contracted, they were not allowed to film – nobody was, so they did sneak in.
“They should have lost their job because there was many a person standing there, people in wheelchairs.”
At the time, Holly narrated a lengthy statement on This Morning, assuring viewers she and Phillip would “never jump the queue”.
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV.