Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host Jeremy Clarkson has publicly apologised for comments he previously made about Meghan Markle. On Monday, 16 January, the 62-year-old broadcaster took to social media to share news that he'd reached out to the Duchess of Sussex personally after writing about her in a column in The Sun, which has been subsequently taken down.
In a lengthy Instagram post, Clarkson said he usually reads what he's written before filing his copy, but he was home alone that day and in a hurry. "So when I'd finished, I just pressed send. And then, when the column appeared the next day, the land mine exploded."
He said that after picking up a copy of The Sun, he'd quickly realised his mistake. Of this, he said: "You are sweaty and cold at the same time. And your head pounds. And you feel sick. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Had I really said that? It was horrible."
Read more: Prince Harry and Meghan respond to Jeremy Clarkson's apology
In the highly complained about column, Clarkson made reference to a scene in Game of Thrones, writing that he lay in bed "dreaming of the day when she [Meghan] is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant 'Shame!' and throw lumps of excrement at her".
Explaining the reference in his statement, Clarkson said he'd forgotten to mention that it came from the HBO show. "So it looked like I was actually calling for revolting violence to rain down on Meghan's head," Clarkson said.
Clarkson added that he'd "tried to explain" himself. "But still, there were calls for me to be sacked and charged with a hate crime. More than 60 MPs demanded action to be taken. ITV, who make Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and Amazon, who make the Farm Show and the Grand Tour, were incandescent." The news comes following a report from Variety that claims Amazon are 'cutting ties' with the former Top Gear presenter. This has yet to be confirmed. You can read more about that here.
"On Christmas morning, I emailed Harry and Meghan in California to apologise to them too. I said I was baffled by what they had been saying on TV but that the language I'd used in my column was disgraceful and that I was profoundly sorry."
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said Clarkson addressed his correspondence solely to Prince Harry. "While a new public apology has been issued today by Mr Clarkson, what remains to be addressed is his long-standing pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny.
"Unless each of his other pieces were also written 'in a hurry', as he states, it is clear that this is not an isolated incident shared in haste, but rather a series of articles shared in hate." For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
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