This Morning was forced to issue an apology during Wednesday’s show after a guest sparked outrage by using an outdated and offensive term live on air.
As the ITV daytime show drew to a close, host Ben Shephard, 50, addressed the incident directly, telling viewers: “We just want to take a moment to apologise if viewers were offended by a phrase that we used, by one of the teams that we had on the show today.”
The comment came during a segment featuring broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, 77, and Conservative peer Sayeeda Warsi, 54, who were discussing the social role of hairdressers.
Baroness Warsi had said: “First of all, hairdressers are the place people go and offload. For a lot of people, especially older people, hairdressers are one of the few places where they still get regular company.”
She went on to add: “Particularly for Black men or coloured men, or Asian men… I know I have doctors who say when men of certain backgrounds come into hospital and you talk to them about how much pain they're in, they always undersell because they're brought up to not share their feelings and to try and be tough.”
Viewers soon rushed to social media to voice their horror.
One person wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Coloured men’, it’s 2025 — this type of language!!!”
Another added: “‘Coloured men’? What colour were they? #ThisMorning”
While a third asked: “How has she not been reprimanded? It’s not the 50s, 60s or 70s FFS.”
This isn’t the first time This Morning has sparked backlash this week — a separate segment was slammed as “cruel” by viewers just days earlier.
During Monday’s broadcast, Deeley and Shephard were joined by two dogs and their owners, who had taken part in this year's annual Greenwich dog show.
The duo were taking part in a new category launched for 2025 — Best Bridgerton Lookalike.
Dressed in elaborate Regency-style costumes, complete with wigs, the pampered pups appeared on the ITV show alongside their owners, who spoke about the unusual competition.
While the segment raised a few smiles, it also sparked complaints from viewers unhappy with animals being put in outfits.
The presenters were clearly prepared for potential criticism, with Deeley commenting on how content the pooches seemed.
Shephard added: "There will be people asking, 'Are the dogs happy?' because dressing dogs up can sometimes get some criticism. Are they happy wearing the outfits? She seems pretty unbothered."
Charlotte's owner also assured: "She's pretty used to wearing clothes in general; when we go out, I tend to dress her up and try to coordinate our outfits."
