Yahoo Finance Beverley Turner responds to backlash after she refused to clap for Sir Tom
Beverley Turner has defended herself after her refusal to join the clap for Captain Sir Tom Moore sparked a backlash and saw Piers Morgan block her on Twitter.
The Homes Live presenter was in the headlines after she posted a message on Twitter saying she would not be joining as the nation clapped for Sir Tom, who died this week at the age of 100 after contracting the coronavirus
Good Morning Britain presenter Morgan branded her tweet “pathetic”, and Turner later revealed that he had blocked her on the site.
Writing for MailOnline, Turner said she had been subjected to a “Twitter pile-on” after Morgan’s remark.
This is so pathetic. 👇 https://t.co/KMJk3MaNHU
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) February 3, 2021
She applauded Sir Tom’s “extraordinary fundraising efforts” and the way his “determination lifted the mood of the nation”.
But she said she found it “impossible” to view the events surrounding his latter days “without looking through the prism of COVID-19” and the government's response to it.
“And I'm deeply saddened that this wonderful country seems suddenly beset with curtain-twitchers, jobs-worths and finger-waggers desperate to dob in the neighbours or simply shake their heads at an empty doorstep on any 'designated clapping day’,” she said.
— Captain Tom Moore (@captaintommoore) February 2, 2021
The TV star – who used to be married to Olympian James Cracknell – said every death was sad but that in her opinion lockdowns and “COVID drama” were “leading too many people to believe it is an instant death sentence for otherwise healthy people”.
Watch: James Cracknell's ex-wife reveals why she had to walk away
Right to reply...BTW, it wasn't exactly a 'refusal'...more an informed choice. @DailyMailUK https://t.co/icUaxLoqoo
— Bev Turner (@beverleyturner) February 4, 2021
Turner also said she felt that “overtly public shows of appreciation” give the impression that everyone is in this together, when actually “there are people 'home-schooling' by the pool in Dubai while others are cramped with three kids to a bedroom in a high-rise flat with no garden”.
“Maybe it's just me, but standing in the street and clapping into thin air feels oddly childish and infantilising,” she said.
Turner also revealed that she paid tribute to the veteran in her own way.
“As much as I loved Sir Tom and everything he represented, I was in no mood to do Boris or Piers's bidding,” she said.
“I honoured him in my own way as I'm sure millions of others did too and thank him for his outstanding impact in a difficult time. May he rest in peace.”
In her original tweet, Turner had told her followers: “#SirTomMoore and his family did a brilliant job of raising £ for the nhs.
Read more: Piers Morgan condemns trolls who added to hurt of Captain Sir Tom Moore’s family
“It's great that he lived to 100! It's awesome that he got one last fab holiday.
“But I'm not clapping in the St to maintain the fear that imminent death is all around & we're all in this together.
“We're not.”
Morgan took issue with her words and shared the tweet on his own account, writing: “This is so pathetic.”
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