Jeremy Clarkson has issued a lengthy apology over "disgraceful" comments he made about Meghan Markle saying that he dreams of her being publicly humiliated.
The Top Gear presenter, 62, sparked a huge backlash last month over the remarks he made in The Sun newspaper in the wake of Prince Harry and Meghan's Netflix documentary airing, in which he said that he wanted to see the Duchess of Sussex "made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant, 'Shame!' and throw lumps of excrement at her." The column quickly became the most complained about newspaper article in history with more than 20,000 complaints, and The Sun was forced to apologise, saying that they "regret the publication" of the article.
Taking to to his Instagram on Monday, Clarkson revealed that he had personally emailed Meghan and Harry on Christmas morning to apologise for his comments, which he said were so "horrible" that they left him feeling "sick". The presenter also admitted that bosses at ITV and Amazon, who air the shows he currently stars in, had been left "incandescent" over the comments"
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Clarkson's statement read: "One of the strange things I've noticed in recent times is that whenever an MP or a well-known person is asked to apologise for something, no matter how heartfelt or profound that apology may be, it's never enough for the people who called for it in the first place.
"So I'm going to try and pick the trend this morning with an apology for the things I said in a Sun column recently about Meghan Markle. I really am sorry.
"All the way from the balls of my feet to the follicles on my head. This is putting my hands up. It's a mea culpa with bells on."
He went on: "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 land mine exploded. It was a slow rumble to start with and I ignored it. But then the rumble got louder.
"So I picked up a copy of The Sun to see what all the fuss was about. We've all been there, I guess. In that precise moment when we suddenly realise we've completely messed up.
"You are sweaty and cold at the same time. Your head pounds. And you feel sick.
"I couldn't believe what I was reading. Had I really said that? It was horrible."
Explaining his remarks, he continued: "I knew what had happened straight away. I'd been thinking of a scene in Game of Thrones, but I'd forgotten to mention this. So it looked like I was actually calling for revolting violence to rain down on Meghan's head.
"I was very angry with myself because in all those controversial days on Top Gear, when I was accused of all sorts of things, it was very rarely sexism. We never did 'women can't park' gags for instance. Or suggested that powerful cars were only for men.
"And I was thrilled when Jodie Kidd and Ellen MacArthur set fastest ever laps in our reasonably priced car. I'm just not sexist and I abhor violence against women," he insisted.
"And yet I seemed to be advocating for that. I was mortified and so was everyone else.
"My phone went mad. Very close friends were furious. Even my own daughter took to Instagram to denounce me.
"The Sun quickly apologised, and I tried to explain myself. But still, there were calls for me to be sacked and charged with a hate crime."
Clarkson admitted: "ITV, who make Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and Amazon, who make the Farm Show and the Grand Tour, were incandescent. I therefore wrote to everyone who works with me saying how sorry I was and then on Christmas morning, I emailed 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 thirty years, I have written nearly five thousand 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.
"So can I move on now? Not sure. It's hard to be interesting and vigilant at the same time. You never hear peals of laugher coming from a health and safety seminar. But I promise you this, I will try.
"Who knows? Very soon now I shall be a grandfather so in future, maybe I'll just write about that."
Clarkson's column about Meghan went viral on social media when it was published in December, with readers branding the rant "horrifying" and "unhinged". Last month, a spokeswoman for the couple branded the apology issued by The Sun "nothing more than a PR stunt".
The spokesperson continued: "While the public absolutely deserves the publication’s regrets for their dangerous comments, we wouldn’t be in this situation if The Sun did not continue to profit off of and exploit hate, violence and misogyny. A true apology would be a shift in their coverage and ethical standards for all. Unfortunately, we’re not holding our breath."
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