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Piers Morgan has said Ant McPartlin "doesn’t deserve sympathy" after he pleaded guilty to drink-driving.
McPartlin, who checked into rehab for alcoholism and substance abuse last year, was twice the legal limit when he crashed his Mini into two vehicles in Richmond last month.
At a court hearing on Monday his lawyer described what happened on the day of the crash as a “brief relapse”. McPartlin apologised for his actions and was fined £86,000.
Fans were quick to reach out in support of the TV star, but Morgan said: “He does not deserve sympathy.”
'Haunted': Ant McPartlin arriving at court on MondayGetty ImagesThe Good Morning Britain presenter later clarified his comment, claiming McPartlin would not want sympathy for causing a crash which saw a child taken to hospital.
He tweeted: “To clarify, I said I don’t think anyone who drink drives deserves sympathy, especially when they crash into cars with kids inside. Ant, I’m sure, wouldn’t want or expect any.
“But on a personal level, I’m very sad to see him like this & wish him well with his recovery.”
Morgan previously said McPartlin needs some “tough love”. Speaking on Good Morning following his arrest on March 18, Morgan said: “The public were very sympathetic to his [past] problems, this is different.
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“Even if you really like Ant, you've got to look at this and think ‘you could have killed someone’.”
He continued: “What is very damaging for him is this is not just him having problems, it's him having problems and inflicting them on to completely random, innocent people.
“What he maybe needs now is tough love and someone saying ‘you need to sort yourself out because you could have killed someone’.”
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