Ant

ANT McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have taken a surprise swipe at former This Morning presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield – four years after the infamous “queue gate.”

Phillip and Holly received a slew of backlash back in September 2022 over claims they “skipped the queue” to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth, who was lying-in-state at Westminster Hall.

The pair broke their silence on the scandal on This Morning and viewers were left furious by their “pathetic excuses.”

Now, four years on from the controversy, Ant and Dec have made a very cheeky comment about their conduct.

The telly duo were chatting about going to see the Bayeux tapestry – which depicts the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 – at the British museum.

Dec said on their podcast Hanging Out: “It’s the first time in nearly 1,000 years, it’s been in the UK. You’ve got to go and see it.”

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They both agreed to visit the museum together but believed it was going to be very busy.

Ant asked listeners: “If anyone from the British Museum is watching this podcast in their downtime… I’d like to jump the queue.”

Appearing to take aim at Holly and Phillip, Dec laughed: “I’m not sure about TV presenters skipping queues.

“I don’t think that’s going to end well.”

Ant continued: “What could possibly go wrong? It’s just scuttle down the side, pop in the front.”

Dec added sarcastically: “Do you think that’s the end? Nobody’s gonna say anything about it.”

TV star Ant then asked Dec if he wanted to skip the queue with him but the latter was adamant that’s something he’d have to do alone.

In 2023, Phillip told The Sun of the impact “queue gate” had on him and Holly.

He said: “I don’t ever throw anyone under the bus, but I have a very good instinct for these things and I knew it was a bad thing to do.

“We were texting each other backwards and forwards afterwards. I said to Holly ‘I knew I should have gone with my gut,’ and she said ‘I know.’

“But we were shell-shocked, the both of us, completely shell-shocked by the reaction.

“What are the two things you don’t screw up? The Queen and a queue.”

Phillip continued: “So we are forever now [associated]… it doesn’t matter now because I’m not going to go out any more … but forever now, you go to the butchers and someone says, ‘Oh do you want to [skip ahead]…?’ ‘No, no, I’ll stand here.’ I’m serious.”

Many celebs including David Beckham, Susanna Reid and Sharon Osbourne were seen standing in the long queue to see the Queen.

At the time, This Morning shared a statement on their official Instagram account, it read: “Hello everyone, we would like to clarify something. 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.”

Ant and Dec have lost out on the NTA for TV Presenter yet again after previously breaking their 23-year streak last year when Gary Lineker scooped the award

Ant and Dec have lost out on their once-annual National Television Award yet again. The Geordie duo had an unbeaten streak of 23 consecutive wins of the Best Presenter gong, which was broken last year when Gary Lineker took the award.

This time around, all eyes were back on the I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! stars to see if they could reclaim their victory, but it wasn’t to be as Sir David Attenborough was chosen by the public.

The centenarian, who has most recently fronted Secret Garden for the BBC, could not be there in person but executive producer Mark Brownlow collected it in his honour.

Reading David’s words, he said: “I’m sorry that I cannot be here to accept it. If this award is a response to the part television has played in the growing recognition of the terrible plight our planet is in, and also of the fact we now have a pressing responsibility to do what we can to protect and preserve it, I am honoured.

“If we are to repair the planet, we need a major national and international initiative, which will certainly require our support. But it’s also possible to make small differences in our own spaces and neighbourhoods.

“If enough small differences are made, they do add up to something significant, while also providing spacers we can enjoy being in. Humanity has always needed the natural world for all the practicalities of life and for our mental wellbeing.

“Now, the natural word needs us too. Surely, we must not ignore that simple fact. Thank you very much.”

Ant and Dec are yet to speak out on the loss, but last year, they took the defeat graciously. “Hello from sunny South Africa, it’s us,” Dec said in a video. “We just want to jump on here and say a huge thank you to everyone who voted for I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! at the NTAs last night.”

“Yes, thank you very much,” Ant added as the pair whooped. “Everyone here is very happy and thank you to everyone that voted for us for the Best Presenter category, even though we couldn’t get it across the line this year. We were beaten by an up and coming new guy, 64-year-old whippersnapper Gary Lineker.”

Dec went on to praise Gary’s emotional speech as he added: “Congratulations to Gary – great speech too.” Ant seconded his pal’s words, saying: “Great speech, thoroughly deserved.”

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