Amanda Holden has provoked a fierce backlash on social media over her tribute to the late Paul O’Grady on Heart Radio.
The radio presenter, 52, has been among those who have paid tribute to Paul following the news that he had died, aged 67, “unexpectedly but peacefully” earlier this week.
She spoke about the late entertainer – whom she had appeared alongside on a special episode of For the Love of Dogs last year – on Heart Breakfast yesterday.
Discussing his death, she said to her co-host Jamie Theakston, 52, that she was “completely shocked”.
“Do you know what I loved about him? He was not woke in any way. He had massive opinions on everything, which I love people like that.”
But her bizarre bid to politicise his death has sparked controversy online, with several people questioning whether she knows the meaning of the term woke and whether she knew much about Paul’s life.
The Collins Dictionary describes ‘woke’ as someone who is “very aware of social and political unfairness”.
O’Grady has spoken out on numerous occasions about unfairness in society, and was an icon within the LCBTQI community.
Responding to her comments, one person said: “‘He didn’t have a woke bone in his body’. That would be the drag artist, AIDS campaigner, LGBTQ+ hero and anti austerity critic Paul O’Grady.”
Another tweeted: “The man was a queer activist, trailblazer and unapologetic drag queen on prime time TV when being gay was seen as dirty. What about that isn’t woke?”
A third person said on social media earlier this week: “[Paul] was woke before woke was woke.” Whilst a fourth tweeted: “[He] was the epitome of woke. Btw it’s a good thing”.
Others however have come to her defence. One said: “I think she means he wasn’t afraid to offend. Which is fair enough”. Another said: “She knew him better than any of us ever did”.
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