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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Jacob Stolworthy

Richard Madeley expertly called out by Lily Cole for ‘patronising’ GMB interview during appearance on show

Shutterstock / ITV

Lily Cole expertly called out Good Morning Britain host Richard Madeley during an appearance on the series.

The actor and model was invited to discuss the climate crisis on Monday (15 August) with hosts Robert Rinder and Charlotte Hawkins.

At the end of the interview, Cole appeared to reference a controversial interview to have featured on the show back in April.

This interview was conducted by Richard Madeley, who generated Ofcom complaints after clashing with Just Stop Oil protestor Miranda Wheelan, whom he accused of hypocrisy.

“The clothes that you’re wearing to some extent owe their existence to oil,” Madely told Wheelan, adding: “There are so many ways oil impacts on your life as a protestor but you don’t acknowledge that.”

Cole, 34, seemed to address this comment, telling the GMB hosts: “It’s really, really important that we don’t focus too much on individual action. Individual action is really important to walk the talk, but the reality is that it’s impossible to be perfect.”

She continued: “If we focus on that and focus on hypocrisy, we stop having the more important conversation, which is how can we all work together, how do we create political change, how does it become easier for everyone.

“I really want to invite the media and Good Morning Britain to really try and move the conversation away from that and into solutions,” she told Rinder and Ritchie.

During the interview in April, Wheelan had told Madeley in response to his remark: “We’re talking about crop failure by 2030, we’re talking about people in this country in fuel poverty because of the price of oil and you’re talking about what I’m wearing.”

Madeley was criticised for his “patronising” line of questioning by viewers.

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