Fans of Good Morning Britain were furious this morning after Bernie Ecclestone said he would "take a bullet" for Putin.
Speaking to hosts Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard, the former Formula One chief executive said that the Russian leader "is a sensible person". It comes during a discussion where Bernie claimed that he thought Russian sportspeople should still be able to compete in international sports, despite the ongoing war between them and Ukraine.
The screen showed an image of Bernie walking alongside Putin. Kate asked if he still regarded the Russian leader as a friend, to which Bernie replied: "I would take a bullet for him."
READ MORE: GMB's Dr Hilary says lack of GPs is 'extremely concerning' as he fears NHS collapse
He added: "He is a first class person and what he's doing is something that he believed is the right thing he is doing for Russia. Unfortunately, he's like a lot of business people, he's certainly like me. We make mistakes from time to time and when you make a mistake you have to do the best that you can to get out of it."
Speaking of Ukrainian President Zelensky, Bernie said: "I think if he'd have thought about things he'd have definitely have made a big enough effort to speak to Mr Putin who is a sensible person. He would have listened and done something about it."
Ben reminded Bernie that the actions of Putin has led to thousands of deaths. Bernie replied: "It wasn't intentional."
Fans on Twitter were outraged at Bernie's views. One user said: "I think I’ve just witnessed the biggest car crash interview of all time with Bernie Eccleston on #GMB can’t actually believe what was coming out of his mouth".
Richard said: "Bernie Ecclestone's interview, possibly the worst since Prince Andrew's. #GMB." Another user said: "Just watched that very uncomfortable interview between #gmb and Bernie Eccleston. So, he thinks Putin is a "first class man" and he would take a bullet for him? Oh, and the war is all Ukraine's fault? What an utter lowlife of a man."
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV and the ITV Hub
Receive newsletters with the biggest and breaking TV and showbiz news by signing up here
READ NEXT:
- Easy way to kill flies in your home using 55p kitchen item
- Drivers face up to £1,000 fines for commonly used 'thank you gestures' on roads
- Mum interrupted by stranger after asking Aldi worker to stop scanning
- Alison Hammond supported by celebrity pals as she shares family news
- Mum who mooned crowd at school sports day shares messages men are sending
