Lorraine Kelly Says She Should Have Complained About 'Distasteful' Bo' Selecta Impression
Lorraine Kelly says she should have complained about the 'distasteful' Bo' Selecta impression of her.
Like many famous faces, the TV presenter was the butt of the joke in Leigh Francis's long running series.
But despite the controversial comedian having previously apologised for his pretty outlandish impressions, Kelly says she wishes she had said something at the time.
Speaking on the Be Honest podcast, the 62-year-old said: "I didn’t complain, but I should have.
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"To be honest I never saw it, because I didn’t watch the show.
"I was actually very, very upset at the portrayal of Craig David because I adore Craig.
"He’s the kindest, loveliest man, and that absolutely destroyed his career.
"For a few years that did badly affect him and his career.
"With me, I just found it really distasteful, really horrible and I should have complained at the time, and I certainly would complain now.
"I think any woman would. The portrayal of everybody was actually very cruel."
Bo' Selecta ran for five series between 2002 and 2009, and poked fun at the likes of Michal Jackson and Craig David.
Francis previously took to his social media channels to apologise for any offence caused by the series, which saw him use blackface.
In a post to Instagram, the 49-year-old said he didn't realise the impact it had on people's lives.
He said: "Hi, my name is Leigh Francis and I play a character called Keith Lemon on television.
"It’s been a weird few days and I’ve sat and thought about things and what I could post to try and help things.
"Back in 2002 I did a show called Bo' Selecta! and portrayed many black people.
"I didn’t think anything about it, people didn’t say anything, I’m not going to blame it on other people.
"I’ve been talking to some people and I didn’t realise how offensive it was back then and I just want to apologise.
"I just want to say sorry for any upset I caused, whether I was Michael Jackson, Craig David, Trisha Goddard, all people that I’m a big fan of.
"I guess we’re all on a learning journey."
LADbible has contacted a representative for Leigh Francis and Channel 4 for a comment.
Topics: UK News, TV and Film
Dominic Smithers