Entertainment
Jamelia accuses Piers Morgan of ‘victimising’ GMB guests after Meghan Markle comments: ‘This is not OK’
Jamelia has accused Piers Morgan of ‘victimising’ people of colour who have appeared on Good Morning Britain to discuss Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Morgan has constantly spoken out against Markle, including saying he ‘didn’t believe her’ when she recalled feeling suicidal in the tell-all interview.
Guests including Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu have called Morgan out on his comments, while the presenter stormed off set following a confrontation with his co-presenter Alex Beresford.
Superstar hitmaker Jamelia weighed in, tweeting: ‘Whilst a lot of us are entertained by the shenanigans over at @ITV, please understand that what we’re witnessing is actual violence.
‘What we’ve seen of Dr Shola, Charlene [White] and Alex is direct dismissal & victimisation of them, their truth and their experiences. This is not OK.
‘We are too comfortable with this being played out on live television, take it from someone who knows all too well, this is a traumatic experience. They don’t just leave this s**t at the office, it gets taken home with them, and may spill out into their real lives. This is not OK.’
The 40-year-old continued: ‘I hope they’ve all been offered counselling, aftercare and in-house support. I hope they’ve been apologised to and given time and space to process their experience. We need to recognise that this is ALSO an institution guilty of not protecting its black people.
‘And for those who want to call me bitter, please know that I left ITV to protect my mental health. I could still be working there, but my mental health suffered too much in that environment, without help or protection (from press) – even when I begged for it – Sound familiar?’
‘I’m angry that you made Alex share a table with him this morning, that is an act of violence. This is not OK,’ she continued.
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She later added: ‘I see @ITV & @GMB unfollowed me – And Still I Rise.’
At the time of writing, ITV and GMB appear to still be following Jamelia.
Beresford told Morgan on Tuesday’s episode of GMB: ‘I understand that you don’t like Meghan Markle. You’ve made that so clear a number of times on this programme. I understand that you’ve got a personal relationship with Meghan Markle or had one and she cut you off.
‘She’s entitled to cut you off if she wants to. Has she said anything about you since she cut you off? I don’t think she has but yet you continue to trash her.’
At this point, Morgan said: ‘I’m done with this. Sorry. You can trash me, mate, but not on my own show,’ while walking off set.
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He tweeted afterwards: ‘I was annoyed, went for a little cool-down, and came back to finish the discussion.’
When Morgan returned to set, he told Beresford: ‘I completely respect that. It was my idea to have you on to talk about this.’
He insisted he has not got a ‘racist bone’ in his body.
Beresford said he wasn’t accusing Morgan of being a racist, and doesn’t think he is one, adding: ‘I just feel the stance you were taking on it yesterday was so strong I just felt it was slightly clouded because you’ve had an experience with her.’
The 55-year-old also clarified his position on mental illness and suicide after he was widely criticised, saying: ‘If somebody is feeling that way, they should get the treatment and help they need every time. If they belong to an institution like the royal family, and they go and seek that help, they should absolutely be given it.
‘It’s not for me to question whether she felt suicidal. I wasn’t in her mind and that’s for her to say.
‘My real concern was a disbelief, frankly, and I’m prepared to be proven wrong on this, and if I’m wrong, it’s a scandal, that she went to a senior member of the royal household, told them she was suicidal, and was told she could not have any help because it would be a bad look for the family.
‘If that is true, A) that person, if they’re still there, should be fired, and B) the royal family have serious questions to be answered about how they handled it.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted reps for Piers Morgan, ITV and GMB for comment.
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