ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall has said that This Morning presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield are not "feeling great" following the so-called "Queue-gate" scandal.
Earlier this month the duo came under fire on social media after it emerged that they had used press privileges to see the late Queen Elizabeth II lying in state in Westminster Hall, bypassing the general public queue which had a wait time of up to 24 hours.
ITV has insisted that they did not jump the queue as the line for press and dignitaries was handled separately - and they were present for the purposes of reporting on the occasion for the programme.
Nevertheless, anger has failed to subside on social media and a petition calling for them to be sacked by ITV has now passed 75,000 signatures.
Talking about the saga, McCall told an RTS event: "They did have accreditation. Lots of people say they didn't.
"They were sent by This Morning to do a piece for 20 September, which ran. They were to interview people inside and outside. They didn't displace anyone in the queue. And actually, they've been very misrepresented.
"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.
"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. I'm hoping it will just pass."
Asked how the pair were coping, she added: "I don't think they're feeling great. I mean, it's hard.
"Imagine yourself in the eye of a storm like this, where you're trying to say you've done nothing wrong, and all the noise around you is saying that you have. It's difficult to handle."
Schofield has been the main male presenter on This Morning for the last 20 years and was joined by Willoughby in 2009.
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