Jeremy Clarkson has issued a statement saying he is 'horrified to have caused so much hurt' after a column where he described how much he hated Meghan Markle and wanted her dragged naked through the streets with people throwing excrement at her caused outrage. Press watchdog IPSO said it has received 6,000 complaints about the article which appeared in The Sun.
It was widely condemned - even by Clarkson’s daughter Emily who, said in an online post that she is “against everything that my dad wrote". The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host has since taken to Twitter to issue a grovelling apology, saying he was "horrified to have caused so much hurt".
He said: "Oh dear. I’ve rather put my foot in it. In a column I wrote about Meghan, I made a clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones and this has gone down badly with a great many people. I’m horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in future."
READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson condemned over 'naked' Meghan Markle comments
Not everyone greeted his 'apology' with joy, though, with many still wanting to castigate him further. Dave Lawrence said: “Sits there grinning whilst lapping up the attention. So no apology to Meghan then. What about an apology to your own daughter who was horrified. The GoT excuse does not wash either - just misogynistic and hateful comment."
SpaceyCarrie added: "Not good enough. It was abusive, the whole column is. You should resign and make a significant donation to Women’s Aid." Karen Roles added: "You don’t get to give a pretend apology and walk away from this. You don’t define this narrative anymore."
In the article, Clarkson wrote he had dreamed of Meghan being paraded through British towns and publicly shamed, adding that "everyone who’s my age thinks the same way".
Clarkson’s article followed the recent broadcast of Harry and Meghan’s explosive six-part Netflix documentary, in which the couple made allegations of mistreatment by the royal family. Those criticising the piece included Nicola Sturgeon, Carol Vorderman, Sir Philip Pullman and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
His daughter Emily said: "My views are and have always been clear when it comes to misogyny, bullying and the treatment of women by the media. I want to make it very clear that I stand against everything that my dad wrote about Meghan Markle and I remain standing in support of those that are targeted with online hatred."
Former Countdown host Vorderman said Clarkson’s comments were unacceptable "in any circumstance". She added: “No Jeremy Clarkson. Not on any level, in any circumstance, is it ok to write this stuff about any woman & absolutely NO to ‘everyone who’s my age thinks the same’. No no no. We absolutely do NOT think the same. Listen to the noise Jeremy. The crowds are chanting ‘shame on YOU’.”
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