There are only a handful of British TV hosts or anchors who actually dare to say supportive things about Prince Harry and Meghan. Alex Beresford is one, he was the one to challenge Piers Morgan’s unhinged ranting about Meghan, which led to Piers walking off the set of Good Morning Britain. Denise Welch is another one. Tom Bradby seems more like an honest broker for the Sussexes rather than a “supporter.” Well, add another name to this shortlist: Charlene White, a Loose Women panelist/anchor, who recently spoke to the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden about the British obsession with ripping Meghan to shreds.
The Duchess of Sussex found an unexpected ally in ITV news presenter Tom Bradby when she opened up in a candid interview about not coping well under the relentless pressure of life in the spotlight. Now, Meghan has gained further support from another ITV voice, Loose Women panellist Charlene White.
The broadcaster, 45, has blasted the public ‘sport’ of tearing down the Duchess of Sussex, saying TV audience’s obsession with her has gone way too far and turned into something far more toxic.
White tells me at the British Diversity Awards at JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, which she helped host: ‘We could do an episode that features Harry and Meghan and people will be chatting about it on socials for like weeks and weeks afterwards, and I just cannot get my head around people getting so deep and meaningful and also hateful about someone they’ve never met before in their life. It blows my mind and it’s unfathomable to me.’ She adds: ‘I like discussing her, because I think it’s important that we talk about her without the intention of trying to get clicks and trying to beat down yet another woman. I think that’s really important, when for some beating her down is almost a sport.’
White is no stranger to public criticism herself and has faced a furious backlash from viewers, including calls for her to be axed after she repeatedly refused to wear a Remembrance Day poppy on air. Her decision, she insists, was down to strict impartiality rules linked to her charity work.
‘I’ve had to build an armour since it first happened in 2015, so it didn’t dominate my mind, my heart or my emotions,’ says Charlene. ‘When it happened again last year, I was recovering from my father dying by suicide, and despite people knowing that they still went for me.’
I love the nuance here – “I like discussing her, because I think it’s important that we talk about her without the intention of trying to get clicks and trying to beat down yet another woman.” I feel the same way – I like talking about Meghan and Harry and they’re obviously important figures across the board culturally, royally and beyond. I also think it’s important to provide an increasingly rare supportive/honest type of discussion, especially given the now decade-long hate campaign against Meghan in particular. White is also correct to separate “people want to talk about Meghan” versus “people are fixated on the Sussexes and are hellbent on ripping them to shreds and profiting from the hate campaign.” I’m actually surprised the Mail even published this since they have done the most to whip up this hate-frenzy.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
