Lorraine Kelly has admitted there were times she ‘should’ve stepped up’ to racist remarks she overhead but didn’t ‘out of embarrassment’.
The TV presenter, 61, had a frank discussion about racial discrimination with Andi Peters during Tuesday’s episode of her ITV chat show.
Andi, 50, explained a friend of his recently overheard people using the N-word in a pub and criticised them for it which he said took courage.
Candid: Lorraine Kelly has admitted there were times she ‘should’ve stepped up’ to racist remarks she overhead but didn’t ‘out of embarrassment’
Lorraine replied: ‘There’s been occasions where I should’ve stepped up and I didn’t, I guess out of embarrassment more than anything else and not knowing what to do.’
The pair spoke about the racist online abuse aimed at footballers Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saaka following Sunday’s Euro 2020 final.
Andi said: ‘When you look at those pictures and see there has been an outpouring of people wanting to support.
‘People who have levied racist comments to him, some of those people, their children could’ve been fed because of the good work Marcus has done.
Honest: The TV presenter, 61, had a frank discussion about racial discrimination with Andi Peters during Tuesday’s episode of her ITV chat show
‘No one deserves to be treated the way any of those players have been treated. Some of it is so nasty, so incredibly person, just not necessary.
‘We do live in a world still where there are people who have those thoughts.’
He added: ‘I’ve been there as well. I’ve said all along, there is an education piece to be done about being black British as well as white British. They’re both equal.
‘The more we talk about it the more we can educate. To everybody that has tweeted me or message me on Instagram saying you’ll never know what I go through, which you won’t, I appreciate you talking to me about it.’
Lorraine said: ‘There’s been occasions where I should’ve stepped up and I didn’t, I guess out of embarrassment more than anything else and not knowing what to do’
It comes after the three England players to miss penalties in Sunday’s Euro 2020 final were spammed with hideous racist abuse online.
Rashford, Sancho and Saka’s social media accounts were flooded with racist messages following England’s defeat to Italy.
In response, Marcus penned a letter which he shared online saying he ‘had a difficult season’ but ‘will never apologise for who I am or where I came from’.
Underneath he attached letters sent to him by children as he was told by an 11-year-old boy to be ‘proud’.
Cruel: It comes after the three England players to miss penalties in Sunday’s Euro 2020 final were spammed with hideous racist abuse online (Marcus Rashford pictured)
The letter, from a boy named Alfie, added: ‘You may have missed your penalty but you had a brilliant tournament. I admire you and so should the rest of the world.’
Marcus said he was left ‘close to tears’ after well-wishers covered graffiti sprayed on his Manchester mural with loving notes.
He penned an emotional open letter to England fans apologising for his penalty shoot-out miss.
The striker also paid tribute to his supportive teammates and vowed to ‘come back stronger’ after yesterday’s heartbreaking finale to Euro 2020.
But the star reserved a special thank you for those who had stepped in to restore his mural on the wall of the Coffee House Cafe in his home town of Withington.
The painted image was defaced, in what is being investigated by police as a possible ‘hate crime’, with derogatory comments about Marcus and included the words ‘sh**e’ and ‘b*****d’. Further graffiti said ‘f**k Sancho’ – a reference to his Three Lions teammate.
Mural: Marcus reserved a special thank you for those who had stepped in to restore his mural on the wall of the Coffee House Cafe in his home town of Withington after it was defaced by vandals
However, Marcus’ fans quickly rushed to the site to hide the abusive messages, before placing hearts over the covering.
Speaking about their support in an open letter posted on his Twitter account, the star said: ‘The messages I have received have been positively overwhelming and seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears.
‘The communities that always wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up. I’m a 23-year-old black man from Withington and Wythenshawe, South Manchester. If I have nothing else, I have that.’
Earlier in the open letter he apologised for his penalty miss against Italy, saying ‘I felt as though I’d let everyone down’.
‘It’s been playing over in my head over and over since and there’s probably not a word to quite describe how it feels,’ he said. ‘Final. 55-years. 1 penalty. History. All I can say is sorry. I wish it had gone differently.’
The striker also praised his teammates, saying it was the ‘best camp I’ve experienced’ and adding that an ‘unbreakable brotherhood’ had been formed.
He also tackled the abuse he had faced, saying he would ‘never apologise’ for being himself, before ending on a positive note by vowing to bounce back from the heartache, saying: ‘For all the kind messages, thank you. I’ll be back stronger. We’ll be back stronger.’
Greater Manchester Police called the defacing of the Rashford mural a ‘racially aggravated’ act of vandalism.
In a statement, GMP slammed the ‘racially aggravated’ and ‘disgraceful’ damage, adding: ‘Hate crime in any form is completely unacceptable and not welcome here in our city.’ The force was alerted at around 2.50am this morning. No arrests have been made and inquiries are ongoing.
Emotional: Marcus said he was ‘close to tears’ after well-wishers covered graffiti sprayed on his Manchester mural with notes of support in the wake of his Euro 2020 penalty heartache
Chief Superintendent Paul Savill said: ‘This is disgraceful behaviour and will absolutely not be tolerated. Greater Manchester prides itself on being made up from a number of diverse communities, and hate crime in any form is completely unacceptable and not welcome here in our city.
‘GMP takes crimes of this nature very seriously and an investigation has been launched. If anyone has any information that could help us to identify this offender please do not hesitate to speak to police.’
The artwork was created by Akse, a French-born graffiti artist, in November 2020. A painting of Marcus appears alongside the phrase: ‘Take pride in knowing that your struggle will play the biggest role in your purpose’.
Moving: A local resident puts love hearts and slogans on the plastic that covers offensive graffiti on the vandalised mural of Marcus