SAS: Who Dares Win star Ant Middleton has been forced to quit his position in the Royal Navy over a Black Lives Matter tweet.
The TV star, 39, began his role as Chief Cadet in November, and at the time said he was honoured to be chosen.
In a now-deleted tweet, the Channel 4 star labelled protestors of George Floyd’s death as “scum”.
What did Ant Middleton tweet?
“The extreme left against the extreme right,” he wrote. “When did two wrongs make a right.
“It was only a matter of time. BLM and EDL are not welcome on our streets, absolute scum. What a great example you are to your future generation. Bravo.”
Following his decision to quit his position, a source close to Ant told The Sun: “He never thought he’d be given such a difficult choice.
“But he has decided to take matters into his own hands and step down.”
They added: “He’s gutted.”
It’s a major blow for SAS: Celebrity Who Dares Wins star, who was reportedly faced with the choice of being sacked or stepping down voluntarily.
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Ant Middleton’s apology
At the time of the backlash, Ant issued an apology to those who he had offended.
“On Saturday night, I made comments about violence breaking out across our streets,” he told The Mirror.
‘While I remain dismayed at these actions, I am horrified to realise that my wording could be misconstrued.
“I did not mean to say that BLM are scum, or to imply that BLM and the EDL are equivalent. I was trying to make a comment about violent protesters of any kind who I despise.
He then went on to add that he is “anti-racist” and “anti-hate” of any kind.
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Ant sparked controversy when he hit out at COVID-19, insisting the pandemic was being taken too seriously.
“Has my life changed? No. Am I going to let some disease, COVID-19, dictate my life? Absolutely not. Get out there, don’t change, [Bleep] COVID-19!” he tweeted.
The TV hardman later apologised for being “insensitive”.
He also received backlash earlier this year when he called Anthea Turner, 59, a “grandma” on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
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