Piers Morgan has said not being able to get close to Peter Andre is too much of a price to pay, even for Coronavirus.
The Good Morning Britain presenter, 54, waded in on the storm over whether the singer was behind a sign which forbid his fans from touching or hugging him at a recent event.
The Mysterious Girl singer, 47 quickly cleared up the row by denying any involvement with the signs put up at his An Evening With Peter Andre gig in Southampton on Saturday.
Taking to Instagram he wrote" "Ok this must be a wind up because I hugged Everyone I met.
"People were saying to me that they had been told not to touch me and that there were signs.
"I thought they were joking."
The signs, which were photographed and circulated on social media, read in part: "Due to the recent cases of the coronavirus please DO NOT have any physical contact with Peter Andre".
But despite Peter's denial Piers still managed to rib the star with his own post, writing: "I'm prepared to make some sacrifices for coronavirus... but this is too much to ask" alongside a picture of the sign.
Fans were quick to add their thoughts about Piers' joke.
"Woooh Corona virus girl, I wanna stay clear of you" wrote one. While another hit back at Piers penning: "I would avoid Piers more than coronavirus".
Even celebrities were tickled by Piers' quip and presenter Myleene Klass posted three laughing emojis to show her amusement.
However many of Peter's fans rushed to defend the reality star.
"I was there and Pete had no idea about the signs he was hugging everyone and pics were taken" asserted one in the comments.
"well look at his post he never said that and didn't know anything about it. lol" stated another.
"He's not asked for this he's made a joke of it on his page its officials that's said you can't touch him" was the response of another comment that was written on Piers' post.
Pete has taken the mix-up all in his stride, and has also mad a joke out of it, saying: "Brilliant. I am now officially a diva without being a diva." Adding: "On a serious note though don’t touch me".
Last month father-of-three Peter said he started worrying about Emily, who is a doctor, when he went to the airport and saw customs officers wearing masks.
Writing in his new! magazine column, he said: "Obviously Emily being a doctor brings it close to home for me and, of course, I'm worried about her. But I'm also proud of her doing her job."
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