THIS Morning has been hit by even more Ofcom complaints after Cat Deeley was forced to apologise for her ‘offensive’ on-air comments.
Presenter Cat, 47, who took over hosting duties alongside Ben Shephard, 49, in March, was forced to apologise over a poorly-conceived joke.
The moment, which aired two weeks ago, saw Cat dancing and shimmying to Meghan Trainor track, All About That Bass, before declaring she was “having a seizure”.
The off-the-cuff comment resulted in fans that suffer from seizures as well as the Epilepsy Society, who claimed Cat was making light of the condition.
On June 17, 66 complaints were made to the broadcasting regulator. However, that’s now risen to 133.
Ofcom has not made any comment about an investigation.
Epilepsy is a condition of the brain which can disrupt the electrical communication between neurons in the nervous system.
This often leads to seizures, a sudden event that can change a person’s awareness, behaviour or feeling.
When Cat apologised, she told viewers: “I really wanted to apologise to anyone I offended yesterday when I made a light- hearted joke about my dancing style.
“It was really wasn’t meant to cause any upset to anybody but I can see why that might have been the case, so I do apologise. I am very sorry.”
“That would never be our intention,” Ben added, prompting Cat to add, “It didn’t come from that place at all.”
It was later reported Cat was made to say sorry by This Morning bosses.
A show insider told MailOnline: “This Morning are so worried about offending anybody they asked Cat to apologise, hoping that would be the end of the matter.
“It’s not something she suggested, but understood the decision.
“The show is desperate to avoid any controversy after what’s happened over the past two years.
Epilepsy is a condition of the brain which can disrupt the electrical communication between neurons in the nervous system.
This often leads to seizures, a sudden event that can change a person’s awareness, behaviour or feeling.
The condition is typically diagnosed when a person has two or more unprovoked fits separated by at least 24 hours.
Epilepsy can begin at any age, but it tends to affect people either in early childhood or who are older than 60.
“But there is a feeling behind the scenes the apology wasn’t overly necessary.”
The upset came after it was revealed ITV’s mid-morning show’s viewing figures had almost halved in two months.
Just over a million saw Cat and Ben debut as the hosts in mid-March, but by the same point in May the peak fell to 589,000 – with an average of 486,000 tuning in to the ITV show.
By Anna Roberts
LAST night after I finished work I did something I’ve never done before – complained to Ofcom.
I’ve got occipital lobe epilepsy – epilepsy that starts in the visual lobe of the brain – and take an eye-watering amount of tablets everyday just to stay alive.
It emerged when I was about eight, I had my first tonic clonic seizure at 13 (the kind of seizure you imagine when you think of epilepsy), and it largely vanished at 26 when I started taking antiepileptics.
However, it emerged again six years ago – only I’m not collapsing this time.
Epilepsy is a huge, heavy burden and seizure jokes aren’t funny in the slightest.
Cat Deeley – who I’ve loved since her CD:UK days – ought to be ashamed of herself for making such a crass, ableist remark.
Yesterday on This Morning, while dancing to Meghan Trainor’s All About That Bass, she sniggered and said something about ‘having a seizure’.
Well Cat, let me tell you what having a seizure is really like.
It’s dislocated shoulders (four at last count – fingers crossed that’s the end of it after having major surgery), being rushed to hospital because you’ve smashed your head so hard your eyes have haemorrhaged, waking with your mouth full of blood, days off where you can’t go on holiday because you are so tired so you just sleep.
It’s learning the tablets you take to control the seizures mean you won’t ever have children – but what choice do you have?
It’s waking on the floor of a car park at night, not knowing where you are…or who you are.
It’s trying really, really, really hard every day just to level the playing field.
It’s the breakdown of relationships (having a girlfriend with epilepsy isn’t fun).
I know her ‘joke’ was said in jest but it’s time epilepsy was taken seriously.
