Celebrity special of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire axed
A celebrity special of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' has reportedly been axed after three female stars refused to work with Jeremy Clarkson.
The TV presenter sparked outrage in December when he wrote in his column for The Sun newspaper that he was "dreaming of the day" Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, would be forced to "parade naked through the streets" while crowds threw excrement and shouted "Shame" at the duchess.
And, it has now been claimed that production of the special has been halted after some female celebrities objected to Clarkson's participation.
A source told The Mirror: "ITV were left with no choice but to postpone the show.
"The feelings were made very loud, and very clear. Namely that they didn’t want to share a platform with Clarkson and, in doing so, risk being seen to legitimise his misogynistic comments.
“They were appearing on the show to raise money for charity, and they were acutely aware that they didn’t want causes special to their heart to be caught up in any backlash. It was a no-brainer to be honest, they had to walk away.”
ITV has previously insisted that "scheduling issues" have led to the show being delayed.
Jeremy previously said he was "horrified to have caused so much hurt" and vowed to "be more careful in future", asking The Sun to remove the column - the most complained about ever - from their website.
He later issued a more lengthy apology and revealed he contacted Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan directly.
He wrote on Instagram: "Usually, I read what I've written to someone else before filing, but I was home alone on that fateful day, and in a hurry. So when I'd finished, I just pressed send. And then, when the column appeared the next day, the landmine exploded.
"I therefore wrote to everyone who works with me saying how sorry I was and then, on Christmas morning, I e-mailed 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.
"Over the last 30 years, I have written very nearly 5,000 newspaper and magazine columns, so it was inevitable that, one day, I'd do a Harry Kane and sky one of the damn things. Which is what happened with the piece about Meghan."
