Alexandra Burke has been branded a "fake" and "a hypocrite" for wearing a coat made from coyotes – four years after she stripped naked in an animal right’s campaign.
The 29-year-old singer has come under fire after she was spotted wearing a Canada Goose jacket – stuffed with down feathers and complete with a removable wolf-skin ruff – in a promotional clip for ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ over the weekend – even though she claimed back in 2013 she would "rather go naked than wear fur" as part of a poster campaign for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
One fan – who goes by the handle MaisyMooCow – tweeted: "Alexandra Burke is a #fake. She was seen on her VT last night wearing fur on her jacket #CanadaGoose."
Another – Yvonne S – fumed: "@bbcstrictly hope that nobody will vote for #AlexandraBurke she was spotted wearing #CanadaGoose coat. I don’t want to watch a #fur hag who thinks that wearing a dead dog round her neck is cool."
While another – Louise V Bennett – added: "Alexandra Burke, 2013 anti fur, 2017 wearing fur #hypocrite #fashionvictim #uglypeoplewearfur."
And one viewer asked: "@alexandramusic What is wrong with you?? #fur #fauxfur #wearyourownskin #AlexandraBurke #crueltyfree #ThanksgivingEve.’ (sic)"
PETA have since reached out to Alexandra to educate her on how the coats are made and are hoping she’ll donate the garment to them for their Canada Goose campaign.
Elisa Allen, Director of PETA UK, exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "Alexandra made a public promise never to wear fur, so we imagine that she was under the illusion that the trim on her jacket is faux – a misconception that’s more and more common nowadays. We’ve contacted her to let her know the truth: that Canada Goose’s fur trim comes from coyotes who are caught in horrific, bone-crushing steel traps.
"They can endure horrific injuries and languish for days before eventually dying of hunger, thirst, or blood loss – some are so desperate to escape that they resort to chewing through their own limbs. If they’re still alive when the trapper returns, they’re shot, stamped on, or bludgeoned to death. We’re certain that Alexandra will be horrified to learn this, that she won’t want to be associated with a product of suffering, and that she’ll donate the garment to PETA so that we can use it in our campaign urging Canada Goose to switch to innovative, cruelty-free materials."
The former ‘X Factor’ winner has since taken to her Twitter account to claim she had no idea that the coat was made from real fur and she will "never wear it again."
She wrote: "I’ve just learned the sad truth of how a coat I wore recently was made. I am an animal lover, as most of you will know I have 4 dogs. I should have asked how it was manufactured and now I know, I will never wear it again. I am really sorry for any hurt or upset I have caused xx (sic)"
Her statement comes four years after she claimed the thought of wearing a coat made from real fur makes her feel "sick" and she wouldn’t be caught "dead" in it.
She said at the time: "When I found out what happens to animals on fur farms my heart just sank. I have animals and the thought of someone hurting them so they can be turned into a coat makes me sick. Anyone thinking about buying or wearing fur should watch PETA’s videos of animals suffering on fur farms – after seeing them, I can’t imagine anyone would want to be caught dead in fur."
PETA has claimed that Canada Goose use metal clamps to trap their coyotes – many of which are mothers desperate to return to their starving pups and they often chew off their own limbs in order to escape and make it back to their babies.
However, Canada Goose have justified their use of real fur by claiming the animal-trim hood creates "turbulent air that protects the face from frostbite."
The company states on its website: "In the coldest environments, a fur-trimmed hood creates turbulent air, which helps protect the face from frostbite.
Alexandra Burke blasted for wearing real fur
