Loose Women presenter Charlene White has defended herself against attacks over her refusal to wear a poppy on the chat show.
The TV presenter, 45, was notably not wearing a poppy ahead of Remembrance Day on 11 November during last week’s live show, where she was joined by Oti Mabuse, Judi Love, and Kelle Bryan, who all wore a poppy.
The red poppy is typically worn in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day to remember those who have died in war, and to show support for the armed forces. White’s father served in the RAF. Last month, she revealed that he died by suicide.
Viewers were furious at the presenter’s decision to forgo the poppy, sharing their anger on social media, with some calling for White to be removed from Loose Women.
In an emotional post shared to Instagram on Monday night (3 November), White responded to the attacks and explained her decision is due to impartiality rules, and that she does wear a poppy off screen.
She posted a black and white photograph of her father in his RAF uniform, with the words: “An immigrant from Jamaica, who signed up to join the British Armed Services when he was just a teenager.
“I post this, as despite the fact I’m barely on the TV at the moment because I’m still grieving his shocking passing (and live TV is difficult for me at the moment), the hate, vitriol and racism aimed at me because of my personal decision not to wear a poppy *on air* has begun again.”
“I’ve also posted, for the first time, the support I’ve had from the start from the Royal British Legion @royalbritishlegion, when all the abuse first began back in 2013.”
One of the photos showed a letter addressed to White from the Royal British Legion in 2013 when she was first subjected to abuse for not wearing a poppy. In it, the organisation wrote that “those who bullied you” for not wearing a poppy “should be ashamed of their behaviour”.
“The Legion understands that people choose to honour those who have given their lives in Service in their own personal and private ways,” the letter continued, adding: “The Royal British Legion fully supports your decision.”
In her own post, White continued: “I support the charity, I donate to its work, I believe in its work, and I wear a poppy off screen.
“But I believe in the impartiality rules which exist in broadcasting regarding charities. You may not agree with me, and I genuinely don’t expect everyone to, but disagreement does not legitimise the abuse. It is not what my dad, my uncle, my close friends and millions of others served for.”
She continued: “And those who instigate and fan the flames of hate and racism, especially when they know full well I’m in the depths of trying [to] navigate the world as a child of parental suicide, should honestly take a moment to think about their actions.”
This is not the first time that White has had to speak out in defence of her decision. In an article for ITV last year, she once again explained that broadcasting rules mean she is not allowed to visually show support for charities while presenting.
White said that it made her “feel uncomfortable supporting just one charity above all others, namely The Royal British Legion”.
She went on to clarify that she donates to the British Legion each year and does wear a poppy on Armistice Day. “Please don’t think that I don’t understand the sacrifices made by servicemen and women 100 years ago,” she wrote. “I do.”
