Entertainment
Alex Beresford speaks out following heated row with Piers Morgan: ‘I wish I had the privilege to sit on the fence’
Alex Beresford has spoken out following a heated row with Piers Morgan which saw the GMB journalist dramatically storm off set after being called out over his comments on Meghan Markle.
Sharing a message in which he wished he ‘had the privilege to sit on the fence’, weatherman Alex said he wasn’t able to ‘strip’ himself of his identity in order to do so, as he called out anyone picking apart claims of racism.
It followed the pair’s exchange on Tuesday morning, in which Alex said to Piers: ‘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.’
It was at this moment Piers got up from the desk and stormed out, saying: ‘I’m done with this. Sorry. You can trash me, mate, but not on my own show.’
‘See you later, can’t do this,’ he added, as Susanna Reid attempted in vain to diffuse the situation.
Now Alex has shared a message on Twitter, following mass praise being thrown his way by viewers and celebrities who supported and applauded his speaking out.
He wrote: ‘I wish I had the privilege to sit on the fence. In order for me to do that I would have to strip myself of my identity and that’s not something I can do.
‘It’s not any of our places to pick apart claims of racism in order to make us to feel more comfortable.’
Tensions flared between Piers, 55, and Alex, 40, as they clashed over Meghan and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey at the weekend, which drew in more than 11.3million viewers for ITV on Monday night.
Social media was immediately flooded with praise for the weatherman with BBC Radio 1 presenter Clara Amfo saying: ‘To storm out of a studio live on TV because you don’t like what your mixed raced colleague is saying about your perverse and hateful obsession with a mixed race woman who ceased contact with you, then knowing that your job will absolutely remain in tact….must be nice.’
Comedian Jason Manford cheered: ‘Best bit of telly for a while thanks to @alexberesfordTV ! #GMB. @piersmorgan even you’ve gotta admit the idea of someone asking a woman ‘what colour will your baby be?’ &that not be racist is ludicrous! there is literally no way you can ask that without sounding like a racist!’
BBC’s Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis reacted: ‘Forget piers walking off. Listen to Alex. He’s superb,’ while Love Island star Amber Gill simply stated: ‘Good morning to @alexberesfordTV only.’
Good Morning Britain returns 6am on ITV.
Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview: Key moments
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have spoken to Oprah Winfrey in a bombshell interview about their decision to step back as senior working members of the Royal Family.
Here are the key points from the interview, which UK viewers can watch at 9pm on ITV on Monday, March 8.
- Meghan says it was Kate who made her cry over flower girls, not other way round
- Meghan says Harry was told there were ‘concerns how dark’ Archie would be
- Harry and Meghan reveal the gender of their baby due in summer
- Meghan sobs as she says pressures of royal life drove her to the verge of suicide
- Prince Charles stopped taking Harry’s calls after he quit Royal Family
- Harry says Meghan saved him from being ‘trapped’ like Prince Charles and Prince William are
- Princess Diana would be ‘sad and angry about how this has panned out’
- Meghan and Harry share adorable new video of son Archie at the beach
- Harry confirms terrible rift with William and says their relationship is now just ‘space’
- Queen ‘ghosted Harry during Megxit talks and got aide to say she was too busy’
