This Morning bosses came under fire for the second time in just a few months on on Monday over having Ant Middleton on a guest, with angry viewers claiming they shouldn't 'be giving him any airtime.'
Ant last appeared on the ITV daytime show in October last year, following his exit from hit Channel 4 show SAS: Who Dares Wins, with the broadcast citing his "personal conduct," as the reason.
Reports at the time suggested the broadcaster's decision to cut ties with Ant stemmed from a now deleted tweet from 2020 in which he referred to Black Lives Matter protesters as "absolute scum" when complaining about the "extreme left" and the English Defence League's "extreme right" taking to the streets.
Ant, who maintains he made the choice to walkaway from Channel 4, apologised telling fans he was "anti-racist and anti-violence," and also refuted claims he made "lewd and suggestive comments" to female colleagues, saying it 'wasn't in his nature.'
On Monday the 41-year-old joined Phillip Schofield and Josie Gibson on This Morning to discuss the success of SAS in Australia and his new book.
The book sees Ant open up about mistakes in his past, one of those being when he found himself behind bars.
Ant was handed a 14 month prison sentence in 2013, of which he served four, after assaulting of two police officers outside a nightclub.
Talking to Phillip and Josie about being in prison, Ant said: "It was my biggest learning curve. It was my biggest failure, but boy oh boy was it my biggest learning curve as well.
"It made me realise who I am and what I needed to do differently."
While Ant wasn't quizzed on the fallout with Channel 4, Ant said he had "a really good relationship," with Channel 7, the broadcaster who air SAS in Australia, just as a clip from an episode played out on screen, showing one of the recruits being set on fire.
Ant added that he was "concentrating on Australia," for the moment but plans to tour the UK next year.
Many This Morning viewers weren't impressed with the show for having him on again, with one fuming: "I cannot believe Ant Middleton is on #ThisMorning again. Why give him any airtime?Awful views and actions."
Another reacted: "Time to flick over to the news for six minutes rather than watch this Ant Middleton t**t," with a third posting: "Ant Middleton will never love anyone as much as he loves himself. He doesn’t fail at that"
Ant did find support from some fans, with one taking to Twitter to comment: "When @antmiddleton speaks you listen. Simple as!," and another commented: " @antmiddleton what an interview, you’ve been a voice for many. "
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