Queen of the Castle Giovanna Fletcher and her husband, McFly’s lead singer Tom Fletcher, have apologised for furloughing a member of their staff despite an estimated combined net worth of £8m.
Reports suggested that the famous pair had received up to £30,000 from the government furlough scheme, shortly after Giovanna was crowned the first Queen of the Castle for the 2020 series of, I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, which took place at Gwrych Castle.
Last night the couple issued the same statement on their Instagram accounts apologising for this, denying the figure of £30,000 but admitting they did use the furlough scheme for someone they employed.
Tom, 35, and Giovanna, 36, who have been together since 2003, have paid back the money and said: “We clearly should have thought more about the situation and funded it ourselves.”
They added: “It was a huge error of judgement and a mistake we wholeheartedly take responsibility for and we have paid the full amount back.”
Neither Tom nor Giovanna have been active on their social media accounts since the statement, which is a change from their normal daily updates.
Since appearing on I’m A Celebrity Giovanna’s success has soared with her podcast, Happy Mum Happy Baby, reaching more than 12 million listeners and successful book sales for both Giovanna and her husband.
The couple have three children together - Buzz aged seven, Buddy aged five, and a two-year-old toddler Max.
They also have other famous family members with Giovanna’s brother Mario Falcone a star of TOWIE and Tom’s sister Carrie Hope Fletcher a well-known West End performer.
