Ashley Banjo says he’s ‘never been prouder’ as he praises ITV for ‘making a change’ by standing by Diversity dance
ASHLEY Banjo says he's "never been prouder" as he praises ITV for "making a change" by standing Diversity's Black Lives Matter dance.
Sharing an advert put out by ITV in national newspapers including The Sun, Ashley said: "This is what change looks like.
"@itv stand with @diversity_official and we’ve never been prouder. This is in all the national papers today.
"Thank you again to everyone that has supported us 🙏🏽🖤 #Diversity."
The advert is a black and white image of Ashley bending the knee during the controversial BLM dance that sparked more than 24,000 Ofcom complaints.
Underneath ITV's logo were the words: "Stand with Diversity."
The dance troupe - which won Britain's Got Talent on 2009 - faced huge backlash for their powerful tribute to the late George Floyd, who tragically died after a white cop kneeled on his neck for over seven minutes.
Diversity's performance not only referenced BLM but also addressed the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, capitalism, and the growth of delivery services like Amazon.
Furious ITV viewers have complained in their droves but Ofcom threw out the investigation.
Ashley is standing in for Simon Cowell on the BGT judging panel.
He told how he's been sent disgusting messages since the performance aired - but "every complaint was worth it".
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An ITV spokesperson told The Sun: "Britain's Got Talent has always been an inclusive show, which showcases diversity and supports strong storytelling in all forms and ITV stands behind the decision to broadcast Diversity's performance on BGT.
"Ashley and the group are a great example of the talent, creativity and diversity of modern Britain and their performance was an authentic, heartfelt response to many of the issues and events which have affected society in 2020."