Cat Deeley 'ordered to apologise to This Morning viewers by show bosses' after seizure joke
This Morning bosses instructed Cat Deeley to apologise after her seizure joke on Monday's show sparked backlash, according to a new report.
The 47-year-old came under fire after quipping that she was “having a seizure” while dancing to Meghan Trainor's song All About That Bass.
The Epilepsy Society condemned the comment, stating on social media that seizures are “no laughing matter”.
It has since been claimed that ITV bosses asked Deeley to apologise on air the following day in a bid to prevent the daytime show from becoming embroiled in a new dispute.
A TV insider told MailOnline: “This Morning are so worried about offending anybody they asked Cat to apologise, hoping that would be the end of the matter. It's not something she suggested, but understood the decision.
“The show is desperate to avoid any controversy after what's happened over the past two years. But there is a feeling behind the scenes the apology wasn't overly necessary.”
The Standard has contacted ITV for comment.
On Tuesday, viewers watched as the TV presenter apologised after facing a backlash for making an insensitive joke about seizures.
Addressing the issue during the opening moments of the ITV show the following day, Deeley said she was sorry and insisted that no malice had been intended.
Holding her hands up, she said: “I just wanted to apologise to anyone who was offended yesterday when I made a light-hearted comment about my dancing style.
“It really wasn't supposed to cause any upset to anybody, but I can see why that might have been the case.”
Co-presenter Ben Shephard, 49, agreed and backed up Deeley’s version of events.
It came after angry social media users had taken to their various platforms to berate Deeley and inform her that seizures were “no laughing matter” for those who have epilepsy or similar conditions.
Some however did defend Deeley and praised her for her “genuine” apology.
“She was making fun of herself and not people that have seizures. Sometimes we need to be less critical. It was clearly a joke on herself,” wrote one person.
“'I thought the apology from @catdeeley on @thismorning regarding her seizure comment yesterday was truly genuine. I do hope now that it will stop the mob from constantly attacking her character. Jury by social media can go too far and we've seen that in the past,” agreed another.
The latest controversy comes after recent reports that the show is in “crisis” with viewing figures plummeting by half”, since Deeley and Shephard took over for previous hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield in May.
