'You ruined his career'
Trisha Goddard says she’s been targeted with even MORE vile abuse since Leigh Francis apologised for Bo Selecta ‘racism’
TRISHA Goddard revealed she's been targeted with even more vile abuse since Leigh Francis apologised for his Bo Selecta 'racism'.
Leigh Francis wore rubber masks to play stars in his show from 2002 to 2004, and was confronted last month by Trisha, one of the black celebs he lampooned along with Craig David and Mel B.
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Trisha contacted Leigh when the show first aired but was unable to speak publicly about it because she feared it would damage her career.
However, Leigh apologised after Trisha angrily accused him of hypocrisy when he joined in last month's Blackout Tuesday, a social media campaign for Black Lives Matter.
Trisha, 62, said the Bo’ Selecta star - also known as Keith Lemon - took her concerns seriously and even spoke to her daughter to hear her experiences of being bullied as a result of his show.
However, Trisha said the horrific comments and abuse has started up again as a result of her confronting the TV star forward.
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She told Good Morning Britain today: "I don't mind people joking about me, but it was the big lips the big nose of the character, and a lot of people said 'why didn't you say anything then', assuming I didn't.
"The other thing is people are saying 'lighten up it's a joke' but if he portrayed Vanessa Feltz, a proud Jewish presenter, with a big nose, or Gok Wan working in a Chinese takeaway, they are all abhorrent, and I didn't realise until very recently how badly bullied my children were.
"Since Leigh made that apology I have been subjected to even more abuse."
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She went on: "(People saying) You've ruined his career just because you can't take a joke, and there have been threats."
Trisha said Bo’ Selecta left her feeling “hurt, distaste and disgust” but she refused to let Leigh shoulder all the responsibility.
She added: "It's not just down to Leigh, someone commissioned it, the whole thing, I don't want it to be about Leigh, it's about systemic racism."
She praised Leigh for speaking to her kids after they revealed they were bullied because of his portrayal of their mum.
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She added: "Leigh sweetly talked to my daughter Billie for a very long time about his experience, he was horrified what she went through, he said as a father he feels so bad about this."
Leigh, 47, sent a private apology to Trisha last month and in an emotional Instagram video added to fans: “I didn’t realise how offensive it was.
"I just want to say sorry for any upset I caused whether I was Michael Jackson, Craig David, Trisha Goddard.”
Trisha’s daughter Billie, 30, thanked him and said it was “100 per cent the right thing to do”.
Leigh Francis tearfully apologises for playing black people in Bo Selecta
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