Ant Middleton has backtracked over his comments about coronavirus, after finding himself at the centre of controversy.
Earlier this week, the SAS: Who Dares Wins star was met with a backlash when he shared a post on Instagram, claiming he was “not bothered” about the Covid-19 outbreak, instructing everyone to “calm the fuck down”.
He said: “Covid-19 doesn’t bother me. Why?!? Because I’m strong and able like the majority of us and it has no benefit or positive impact on my life.
“If you are vulnerable to Covid-19 then the ‘expert advice’ is yours to take on board, listen to it! Because it doesn’t effect me, it is merely ‘advice’! [sic].”
However, after being blasted online because of his remarks, he has now seemingly changed his opinion.
In a video posted on Instagram, Ant claimed he’d been “in a bubble”, while filming an undisclosed project in New Zealand.
“Now I’ve come out of this bubble I’ve realised I’ve probably been a bit insensitive towards the magnitude, the scale, of the crisis that’s happening in the UK,” he explained.
“I’ve decided to admit that I made a mistake. I always talk about integrity, take that on the chin and come back to the UK and do the best that I possibly can.”
Ant has also removed the videos in which he contradicted the government and health officials’ advice regarding Covid-19, as he “wouldn’t want people to come across that now”.
He isn’t the only celebrity who’s been accused of saying the wrong thing when it comes the pandemic, though.
Former Lost actor Evangeline Lilly faced similar controversy when she said she was refusing to self-isolate, noting: “Some people value their lives over freedom, some people value freedom over their lives. We all make our choices. With love and respect.”
Meanwhile, earlier this week TV’s Dr Christian Jessen raised eyebrows when he claimed that Italy’s measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 were an “excuse” for people to have a “long siesta”.