Celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson has been left stunned after receiving a massive 25,000 messages of support following his arrest for shoplifting at a Tesco supermarket.
The cheeky scamp was spotted swiping several items, including three onions and some cheap cheese, on CCTV at the Henley-on-Thames branch of the store and was detained by police on Friday.
He was caught out pinching via the self-service checkout on five separate occasions over a period of 15 days and has since revealed that he "sobbed" himself to sleep after getting caught.
Oh, Antony, you are in a pickle.
However, the star has since been bombarded with kind messages from fans and has thanked his followers for backing him in his hour of need.
He continued: "It's extraordinary and unwarranted. I expected people to condemn me but about nine out of 10 messages are sympathetic which I find incredible and heart-warming.
"All I can say to people who have taken the trouble to write notes and send in messages is, I don't deserve it but I thank them very much.
"Even now, I'm getting emotional. The fact is that everybody's support is keeping me going. It's very uplifting.
"At the end of the day I've done something I shouldn't have done and I feel I've got time to serve, as it were, in my own head, even if it's not time in jail."
Former I'm a Celeb star Antony is now seeking help from a psychoanalyst and is preparing to begin a course of treatment.
He said: "I'm seeing someone with my wife, Jay, and I'll see what comes from the first session. I'm sure there will be other sessions to go to afterwards or other people that I should see.
"This is only the first step but I want to address the problem thoroughly. I'm sure the reason I've done this is in my head but I don't know how to open it up.
"I need to see if there's an explanation that I don't know about. The psychoanalyst I'm seeing has been recommended by a friend and I know he has 35 years experience in solving issues of the mind."
Antony has been forced to close four of his restaurants due to £800,000 worth of debts and industry critics claimed the latest scandal signalled the end of the chef's TV run - but support from fans may even give his career a boost.
One supporter said: "It is obvious that this man has an illness along with many others in our country. This man should not be humiliated. He needs love and understanding. He has given his life skills to others who have enjoyed his personality and cooking for many years."
Another said: "There was nothing malicious about this. He looks like a sad man, very brave to own up and apologise all round."
Will Antony recover from this? We hope so.
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