Rylan Clark has made light of his recent controversies, joking about “being cancelled twice” during a festive pantomime appearance following the backlash over his comments on illegal immigration earlier this year.
The broadcaster, 37, was performing as the Fairy Godfather in Cinderella at Southend Cliffs Pavilion on Sunday night when he made a tongue-in-cheek reference to the controversy that followed his remarks on This Morning.
Clark had attracted 702 complaints to Ofcom in August after a heated discussion about Nigel Farage’s proposal for mass deportations while hosting the programme alongside Josie Gibson.
According to the Daily Mail, Clark, appearing opposite Strictly Come Dancing’s Ross King, who played Buttons, accidentally swore during the sold-out show, which included children in the audience.
Aware of the slip, the former X Factor contestant reportedly quipped that he might now be “cancelled for the second time in a year”.
He went on to sing and dance through the remainder of the performance, including a rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
The Standard has contacted Rylan Clark’s rep for comment.
The original controversy stemmed from Clark’s comments during a panel discussion with journalist Camilla Tominey and The Apprentice winner turned judge Tim Campbell.
Speaking about immigration, Clark said: “[The UK] is built on immigration. Legal immigration — a lot of the nurses, the doctors that have saved my mum’s life, have come over here from other countries.
“They’re living a great life, they’re paying into this tax system, they’re helping this country thrive.”
However, his remarks on Channel crossings drew particular criticism.
“I find it absolutely insane that all these people are risking their lives coming across the Channel. And when they get here, it does seem, and I think this is why a lot of Labour voters as well are saying there’s something wrong, it feels like, ‘Welcome, come on in’. That’s the narrative we’re being fed.
