Rochelle Humes has found herself at the centre of a Twitter storm over a new documentary.
The furore kicked off after Rochelle announced a new documentary project she has been working on.
Rochelle’s documentary is focused on the alarming mortality rate of black women during childbirth.
But after going public with her news, author Candice Brathwaite claimed she was supposed to host it.
However, Channel 4 has insisted Rochelle didn’t replace Candice.
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Rochelle Humes and Candice Brathwaite Twitter storm: What did Candice say?
Candice, who campaigns for black mothers and the challenges they face, wrote on Instagram: “The truth is up until six weeks ago I thought I was going to present that documentary.
“I had been contacted in March of 2020. It had been an ongoing discussion for the last 9 months of the year.
“I’m not sure what happened. But it’s not meant to be.
“Although it will always be something I’m passionate about, I have to set my ego aside because it’s not only I who tried to highlight the disturbing data when it came to black women dying in childbirth.
“It’s a group effort. It always has been.”
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Candice added: “So as gutted as I was the message remains the same and it’s such a serious issue that we should hold space no matter who is narrating the story.
“Why is this happening and what can we do to fix it? Hopefully documentaries, books and most importantly LISTENING TO BLACK WOMEN, will help fix things.”
What did Rochelle Humes say about the documentary?
Rochelle, 31, took to Instagram on Saturday (February 6, 2021) to announce her documentary news.
Sharing some pictures from the set, the mum-of-three said: “Hey gang…I’m currently making an investigative documentary, looking behind the shocking statistics that in the UK, black women die during pregnancy, childbirth, and shortly after – at a rate of more than four times that of white women.
“I want to find out why this is, and have met some incredibly brave women as part of my investigation into what’s going on.
“This is a very difficult and sensitive issue, but I think in order to make a change it’s really important to give a voice to families that have lost loved ones in this nature.
“I’m hoping in making this film, it leads to tangible changes and solid commitments to bringing these rates down. That’s my goal.”
What have fans said on Twitter?
Following Rochelle’s documentary announcement, and Candice’s claim, fans have been sent into a spin.
One wrote on Twitter: “Candice spent 10 months in convo with a team about the documentary.
“She spent a portion of her life fighting for Black Motherhood to be discussed publicly. Rochelle Humes didn’t do all that grind.”
I’m sure Rochelle Humes is lovely but I wish she would have turned this down
Another tweeted: “Yeah this is disappointing.
“So Candice Brathwaite was actively working on this documentary since last year and was replaced out of nowhere.
“I’m sure Rochelle Humes is lovely but I wish she would have turned this down.”
A third even tweeted Rochelle directly, saying: “@RochelleHumes hi hello, care to explain???”
However, a spokesperson for Channel 4 said: “It is completely untrue that Rochelle Humes replaced Candice Brathwaite on this film.
“Rochelle was the only presenter attached to the project. Candice was approached to be interviewed but declined.”
Entertainment Daily! has contacted Rochelle’s rep for comment.
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