LOOSE Women presenter Charlene White has revealed she once again will not be wearing a poppy on screen this year.
The 41-year-old received a string of racist abuse when she appeared on TV in the run up to Armistice Day 2020 without a poppy – and she’s shared the reason why she makes the decision each year.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Charlene said: “It’s never an easy decision due to the racist and sexist abuse I often receive on social media as a result.
“I support and am patron of a number of charities, and due to impartiality rules, I am not allowed to visually support them all whilst presenting news programmes.
“That includes things like a red ribbon for World Aids Day, or a purple band for Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.
“Both these and many more charities do great things in the UK, but I’m not allowed to give them exposure on screen.
“So I feel uncomfortable supporting just one charity above all others, namely The Royal British Legion, but I fully support my colleagues who do choose to wear the poppy on screen.”
But Charlene, who is also an anchor on ITV News, made it clear that she does support the Poppy Appeal in her personal life, and wears a personalised poppy when she’s not on TV.
She said: “I wear a poppy on Armistice Day – in fact I wear one that my friend Jen’s mum knitted for me a few years ago.
“And I proudly have one of the ceramic poppies from the Tower Of London on my mantelpiece.
“And every year I donate to the British Legion. Money which the charity desperately needs for the work that they do to support serving and ex-service men and women and their families.”
Last year Charlene received a torrent of abuse from online trolls when she appeared on the ITV News without a poppy – with one user branding her a “f*****g disrespectful c***”.
At the time she hit back: “I wear a poppy off screen – I donate to the British Legion – I come from a forces family – I’m really not a b***h, c*** or p***k .”
