Eamonn Holmes has furiously lashed out after being forced to apologise for saying Kerry Katona looked "oriental" following her latest cosmetic surgery.
The broadcaster, 65, ranted that the "world is ridiculous" and that "apparently you're not allowed to describe someone as looking oriental" after stumbling over his apology live on air.
He had been speaking to the presenter and ex-Atomic Kitten singer about her recent cosmetic procedure when he made the controversial remark. Kerry, who has long been open and honest about her surgery past, appeared gobsmacked as he asked her during the interview on GB News: "Are you happy with the eyes?"
Kerry replied: "I had them done over a year ago now. You know all it was I could... it was making my eyes feel a bit heavy so I had an uplift. But what I don't like is when..." Eamonn responded: "And you don't look Oriental or anything do you?" leaving Kerry stunned.
Speaking about her procedure, Kerry said: "I just wanted the skin removed. I didn't want to change my face; I just wanted the skin that was hanging over my eyes," before Eamonn praised her for being open about her cosmetic tweakments.
Apologising, he later added: "Apparently you're not allowed to describe someone as looking oriental or... I don't know how I would end up describing Kerry Katona if her eyes change shape.
"I don't know how I'm going to say does she look like someone from some other country in the eastern of the world... The world is ridiculous. How you have to apologise for people... if she painted herself or... I don't know I can't get into this. But anyway."
Eamonn's co-anchor, Ellie Costello, rapidly stepped in to try and defuse the situation, saying: "But Kerry looks beautiful." Eamonn added: "Kerry looks well, I'm sorry if you don't look well or we have offended you in any way or... Oh, I don't know."
Police had previously been informed not to call people from China and South East Asia "Oriental" in a race-hate crime report back in 2021. The Home Office excluded the word from a list of categories that were allowed. "This term is offensive," the government department said.
Meanwhile, Sarah Owen, the first female MP of Chinese descent and the chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hate Crime, branded the terminology as "incredibly outdated."
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This, however, isn't the first time Eamonn has been forced to apologise for comments made on air. In 2021, he spoke on This Morning to Dr Zoe Williams and likened her hair to an alpaca. In an episode which aired on August 12, he said he wanted to "pet" her hair.
On air, he said: "Your hair reminds me of an alpaca today. You just want to pet it, don't you? It's very alpaca-ish." Zoe replied: "Don't touch my hair!" Responding to the criticism, Eamonn said on social media on the same day: "Hey everyone out there, if my attempt at being humorous with my friend @DrZoeWilliams was misjudged I am mortified and humbly apologise to anyone who was offended."
Kerry, earlier this year, revealed that she had decided not to go ahead with a lower facelift after her children begged her not to go under the knife again. Despite being excited for the procedure, Kerry says her children "massively impacted" her decision.
GB News airs every day from 6am.
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