Ken Morley insists he’s "not a racist".
The former ‘Coronation Street’ actor was removed from the ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ house for using "unacceptable and offensive language" after using the word "negro" on two occasions and although he apologises for the upset he’s caused, he’s adamant he is not a racist and claims he was simply having "banter" with his housemates.
He said: "I put my hand up and say the word shouldn’t be used but it is an old fashioned word. I apologise unreservedly to everybody who watched that programme. I apologise if I disappointed you by saying what I said.
"It was banter in an odd situation but I understand entirely that I’ve upset a lot of people from everywhere in the world … I am not a racist, never have been. I taught black children in London and people everywhere so I apologise."
However, when questioned about using sexist language on the Channel 5 show, the 71-year-old star wasn’t quite as apologetic.
Rather than saying sorry for causing offence by referring to housemate Cami Li as a "slut" or for saying both Cami and ‘Ex on the Beach’ beauty Chloe Goodman have some of "the best a***s he’s ever seen", he instead claimed producers had edited out bad behaviour from other contestants.
Quizzed on what his wife said when he got home, Ken told ITV’s ‘Loose Women’: "The thing is she understands some of the stuff that is about to come out and what is about to come out is very, very nasty and you haven’t seen any of it."
Referring to the first night in the house, when the famous faces were still arriving, he added: "Cami Li came down the stairs, there were three of us there and we were all coming in, and she bit me. She bit me hard on the ear and I jumped and said, ‘Why have you done that?’ And she said, ‘Because you like it’. Do you think you saw that? No you didn’t and there’s a lot more you didn’t see."
Ken Morley: I’m not racist
