Rising star chef Dan Doherty has been forced to apologise for using anti-gay slurs on Twitter, ahead of his debut on Mary Berry’s latest cookery show.
In one old tweet, Dan, who is set to appear on ‘Britain’s Best Cook’ alongside Mary, used “gay” as a pejorative term, telling one follower he would “retweet that if you weren’t all gay and private”.
In another, he said to a fan, “Don’t be gay”, and he also branded fellow chef Tom Cenci a “c***” for posting a pictures of him “looking like a rejected member of the village people”.
Dan has now addressed the messages, which were sent in 2013 and 2014, in a statement issued to The Sun.
“I would like to apologise unreservedly for the language used in these tweets from four years ago and have now deleted them,” he said.
“These tweets are not a reflection of my beliefs and I deeply regret any offence caused.”
Dan, who is chef director at London eatery Duck & Waffle, will judge ‘Britain’s Best Cook’ alongside Mary and fellow newcomer Chris Bavin when the series starts later this year, while Claudia Winkleman will act as host.
Dan is just the latest in a long line of stars whose pre-fame tweets have come back to haunt them.
YouTuber Jack Maynard was removed from the ‘I’m A Celebrity’ jungle last year when racist and homophobic tweets surfaced on his account, while fellow vlogger Zoella was forced to apologise for a number of comments she’d previously made on social media.