Piers Morgan tore a strip off the DUP’s Health Minister Jim Wells in a row about same-sex couples on Strictly Come Dancing on Tuesday.
The presenter branded the MP a “old bigoted dinosaur”during a Good Morning Britain debate, after he argued against the BBC’s decision to allow same-sex couples appear on the ballroom show.
Wells claimed that the move to make Strictly more inclusive will mean it is no longer “family viewing”, as parents could be questioned by their children as to why two people of the same gender were dancing together.
The politician went on to say it was too “radical” for this to air before the 9pm watershed, to which Piers responded: “What time would you allow gay people to be on television? Without you feeling challenged?”
Piers then continued to press Wells, asking if he would feel uncomfortable dancing near a man at a party, before posing him the question: “Why are you not challenged by a gay judge on Strictly?”
“Because they aren’t branded as gay as such,” Wells replied.
An outraged Piers responded: “Not branded as gay? As long as they are silent? When you say ‘branded’ with an iron brand?...
“Here is what I think is going on, you are an old bigoted dinosaur. You feel challenged because you don’t like the idea of gay people around you.”
Turning to former Strictly professional Robin Windsor, who appeared alongside Wells to discuss the topic, Piers continued: “There is [a gay person] right next to you. The whole time you have been talking, you have been in close proximity to a gay man.”
As Wells then admitted he did not think same-sex couples should appear on shows like Coronation Street before the 9pm watershed if it make it “difficult” for parents, Piers asked Robin: “How do you feel about the fact you should appear after the watershed?
“That is a disgrace,” the dancer responded. “You see it on all sorts of television shows. It is reflected on all types of television shows, why not Strictly Come Dancing?”
Piers then asked Wells if he would “describe himself as homophobic”, to which he claimed he was not.
Robin replied: “I respectfully disagree with that.”
Piers then listed off a number of views that Wells has publicly stated he holds, including a stance against gay men giving blood and not allowing the use of HIV-preventing drugs.
“None of this constitutes homophobia?” he asked. “An irrational distrust and dislike of gay people?”
As Wells denied this, Piers then said: “Most people have weirdly anti-gay sentiment, they have at some stage in their life had a bit of a feeling... Have you had a gay feeling?”
“I’m a happily married man of 36 years... Three wonderful children, four grandchildren,” Wells replied.
“How would you feel if your children were gay?” Piers went on.
As the segment began to wrap up, Wells claimed he had sat and been insulted by Piers, to which the host said: “I’m insulting your bigotry which is irrational, inconsistent, makes no sense whatsoever, your favourite shows have loads of gay presenters on it. There is a gay judge on Strictly, you think that is fine. You don’t want to have two people who may not be gay dancing together.
“It is about standing for tolerance, the way the world has gone where gay people no longer have to feel disenfranchised, something different, something dirty, something nasty. We have all moved on from people like you coming on television and saying I don’t want to see the people of the same-sex dancing together because it will be corrupting for our kids.”
Piers and co-host Susanna Reid then introduced two same-sex couples to perform a routine in the Good Morning Britain studio.
“How can you not think this is not beautiful to watch?” Susanna remarked.
Amid growing calls for Strictly to feature couples compiled of two men or two women, the BBC previously insisted they had “no plans” to break from what they described as the “longstanding ballroom dancing format of mixed-sex couples”.
However, last week The Mirror reported that bosses would be introducing a same-sex couple into the competition next year, which prompted a response from a BBC spokesperson, confirming they’re now “completely open” to the idea.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.
