Ellie Goulding has defended Tom Grennan over his comments about her breasts on stage at the Brit Awards.
Grennan has apologized for a comment he made on the breastplate worn by the Hate Me singer when they appeared on stage together at the Best New Artist gong ceremony.
Goulding tweeted: “A word about Brit/t*t gate… I wore a beautiful breastplate, thank you all for appreciating it.
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“My friend @Tom_Grennan is 100 percent an ally and we had a little bit of fun. No offense, no harm intended – and no other interpretations needed.”
Grennan posted: “Love ya @elliegoulding What started as a joke between Ellie and me before we went on stage turned completely wrong.
“Nerves got the better of me, but that doesn’t excuse what was said, and I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended – I’m not at all, and I’m sorry.”
Before announcing the Best New Artist nominees at the 2023 Brit Awards at London’s O2 Arena, they exchanged a few words on stage.
The Not Over Yet singer said, “Don’t I look good next to Ellie Goulding? I love what you do. Are those your real boobs?”
She replied, “These aren’t mine, no. I wish! Mine are a lot further apart.”
His comment was labeled offensive and misogynistic on social media by some viewers of the music awards.
One tweeted, “Did Tom Grennan actually ask Ellie Goulding about her boobs on TV? Really? What year are we in? And does he know he’s on cam? Also she’s a giant and he’s an ant. Buh bye.”
A second agreed, adding: “Tom Grennan thought it was really cool to chat about Ellie Goulding’s boobs? Nah, I thought we were past this.”
“Tom Grennan asking Ellie Goulding if they were her real boobs while presenting an award was super weird, awkward and creepy. WTF?!” said a third.
The Best New Artist awards went to Wet Leg.
The 2023 Brits were dominated by Harry Styles, who won four awards: Best Artist, Best Album for Harry’s House, Best Song for As It Was and Best Pop/R&B Act.
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In accepting Artist of the Year, Harry Styles acknowledged the controversy surrounding the all-male nominees for the gender neutral category, paying tribute to stars such as Becky Hill, Mabel, Rina Sawayama and Charli XCX in his speech.
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