Dermot O’Leary has broken his silence after comments on This Morning about singing along to musicals in theaters – after his co-star Alison Hammond apologized earlier on Sunday.
The host, 49, shared a laugh on Wednesday as Alison jokay she was ‘devastated’ about a new ban on public singing just days before one ‘mini-riot’ broke out during a production of The Bodyguard in Manchester.
Police were called to the Palace Theater when the show starring former Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton had to be stopped twice before ending prematurely after a woman was dragged out by security after refusing to stop singing along.
Earlier that week on the ITV discussion, Alison said: ‘[Theatre staff] regularly walk the aisles before the performance and during intermission with ‘don’t sing’ signs saying ‘I mean I can’t believe it, I’d be devastated’
Former BGT winner and theater star, George Sampson, 29, angrily took to Twitter, writing: ‘People [in theatres] just behaving how they want, where they want probably won’t help @ThisMorning encourage this behavior.”
Speaking out: Dermot O’Leary has broken his silence after comments on Wednesday’s episode of This Morning about disrespectful theater audiences
Sorry: Alison Hammond apologized earlier on Sunday after being slapped for ‘encouraging’ disrespectful theater audiences on Wednesday’s This Morning
Dermot has now taken to social media to address the issue after Alison spoke out earlier on Sunday, urging viewers to watch the entire segment on This Morning before passing judgement.
The presenter distanced himself from the situation, writing: ‘Evening all…
“Lots of people are commenting on a story we covered on This Morning about the show ‘Bodyguard’ and the audience singing along.”
Dermot added, “Could I politely urge anyone passing judgment on the clip to watch the whole interview…as I was actually arguing AGAINST people singing too loud in theatres.”
“Nothing but love and respect for those who step onto the shelves. Peace and love for everyone.’
He showed he wanted to put the whole ordeal behind him, as he ended the statement on a light-hearted note by saying, “Now, back to those Easter eggs…Dx”
After the shocking scenes in Manchester and her own visit to the theater, Alison decided to apologize for her words and vowed to ‘do better in the future’.
A statement posted on Twitter said: “After reflection and the comments I made on Wednesday’s show, I want to apologize to everyone I have offended, especially the incredibly talented theater performers, for whom I have the utmost respect.
Addressing the situation: Dermot urged viewers to watch the ‘entire interview’ before turning his attention to Easter eggs
Shock: Police were called to the Palace Theater in Manchester when a show starring former Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton had to be stopped twice, before ending early due to a rowdy crowd causing chaos (Melody pictured with co-star Ayden Callaghan)
Fuming: Former BGT winner and theater star, George Sampson, 29, angrily took to Twitter, writing: ‘People [in theatres] just behaving how they want, where they want probably won’t help @ThisMorning encourage this behavior’
“I had no idea how much of a disturbance the audience was causing and tried to keep the subject light on Wednesday’s show, and I’m really sorry about that.”
Adding: ‘I am a great believer in theater and the arts and would not sing at the top of my lungs at any performance, I was wrong in what I said and I have thought a lot about this over the past few days and believe I was wrong.
‘On Thursday night I attended a performance of the GBBO the musical I absolutely loved and gave a standing ovation, theater is a magical experience for me and my family.’
She concluded: ‘As always, I want to use my platform for good and stand up to the performers, reception and theater staff, especially after seeing what happened at The Bodyguard in Manchester, which made me feel sick.
“Again, I’m really sorry, but believe me, I will do better in the future.”
On Saturday, former Pussycat Doll Melody discussed the incident on her Instagram Story, thanking those who were “respectful” and saying “it feels awful” that the show should be shut down.
The singer explained: “I just wanted to send a special message to the people of Manchester who came to the show tonight to thank you and I respect you paid your money.”
She continued, “I am so grateful to the people who respect those on stage, who wanted to give you a beautiful show.
Apologies: After the shocking Manchester scenes and her own journey to the theatre, Alison decided to apologize for her words and vowed to ‘do better in the future’
“For everything that happened tonight, I can’t say, I don’t have all the details. I’m just really sorry we couldn’t finish the show, I fought really hard, it feels awful.”
“I just hope we see you again. The Bodyguard is a great show, it’s a great show, a love story and I know people were looking for a really beautiful show
“I would like to thank everyone who respected the artists and sorry for those who were not, thank you, love you.”
Melody’s apology comes after a woman was dragged from the performance by security after refusing to stop singing along despite the venue’s rules.
Shocking footage shows the moment the woman was forcibly removed from Manchester’s Palace Theater when riot police were called.
The show was paused in the first act because the theater’s staff had to drag several loudly singing people out during the performance.
It was stopped again just 10 minutes from the final curtain when police arrived on the scene.
Others who attended said that “fights” and “mini-riots” broke out in the theater during the chaotic performance. Manchester evening news reported.
Horrible night: On Saturday, former Pussycat Doll Melody discussed the incident on her Instagram story, thanking those who were ‘respectful’ and saying ‘it feels awful’ that the show should be stopped
Performance: The show was paused in the first act as the staff had to drag several people out and then stopped again just 10 minutes before the final curtain (Melody on stage The National Lottery’s Big Night Of Musicals)
Spectators applaud as guards are dragged out.
About six police officers were photographed at the location, while several police vans were parked outside.
A person at the show posted online, “I’ve been seeing a lot of reports of bad behavior at the theater lately and wondered if they were a bit exaggerated. Anyway, tonight at the Palace and they had to stop the show during the first act to eject disruptive spectators.
“They have had to stop the show AGAIN during the finale because people were screaming, screaming and being incredibly disruptive. Just incredibly disrespectful to the actors. And they refuse to leave. This is terrible. Never seen anything like it.
“They decided not to finish the performance because of the glitch. Feel sorry for the whole cast. Kudos to all the Manchester Palace staff for trying to deal with an incredibly difficult situation. Three police vehicles outside the theater. Horrible.’
Another said, “There was a lot of fuss with Melody Thornton [the lead singer] who was on stage solo at the time.
Her microphone was cut off and the curtain went down for the second time. A fight broke out in the upper stands as security attempted to deal with members of the public.
“It was about ten minutes to the end after an earlier break in the show when others were removed.”
Another added: ‘I can’t believe we all got kicked out 10 minutes before the end. Disrespectful idiots sing and shout. I felt sorry for the great performers and was bummed I didn’t get to see the ending.’