Miriam Margolyes speaks out after 'racist' and 'embarrassing' comments towards TV host

Miriam Margolyes has broken her silence weeks after facing widespread criticism for the language she used to describe Andi Peters' race during a live appearance on ITV's This Morning.

The 85-year-old actress, who is currently touring to promote her memoir Miriam's Full English, addressed the controversy for the first time during a live audience event, telling the crowd she 'didn't want to embarrass or hurt Andi because he seems very nice'.

Margolyes had come under fire after asking the 56-year-old presenter about his parentage on air, before describing him using the term 'high yalla', a historically loaded American expression used to describe a Black person with a lighter complexion, also spelled 'high yellow' or 'high yaller'.

Miriam Margolyes has been under fire for comments she made on ITV's This Morning. (David Levenson/Getty Images)

What did Miriam Margolyes say about Andi Peters?

The exchange saw Margolyes press Peters on his accent and background before asking whether he had a 'Black daddy and a white mummy'. When Peters confirmed both his parents were Black, she replied: “Both parents are? I think you're what I would call a 'high yalla'. That's what they call it in America. Oh, when someone isn't deeply black, right?”

The moment was cut from the ITVX broadcast, but clips still circulated widely online, with viewers branding the interaction 'uncomfortable viewing'.

Peters has since addressed the fallout only briefly, thanking broadcaster Jeremy Vine for praising the way he handled the moment, writing: “Thanks JV. As you know, we have to be ready for ANYTHING!!!”

Speaking on stage about the backlash, Margolyes defended her line of questioning by insisting she is simply fascinated by other people's identities, regardless of the discomfort it might cause. She said she didn't recognise Peters before meeting him, adding: 'I'd never met him before; I didn't know who he was and I didn't know he was Black until I saw him. When you see someone, of course you know they're Black.'

Peters has since addressed the fallout only briefly, thanking broadcaster Jeremy Vine for praising the way he handled the moment. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

She then broadened her defence further, listing other groups she claims to take the same interest in. 'I wanted to know what he thought about it because that's what interests me. How do Black people feel? How do Brown people feel? How do cripples feel? How do fat people feel?' she said, using an outdated and offensive term for disabled people in the process.

When the event's host summarised her comments by suggesting she'd simply wanted to discuss Peters' identity with him, Margolyes agreed, adding: "I am fascinated by other people. They are the people that interest me, not the celebrities so much. It's everybody. What their story is, what made them who they are, why you are the way you are."

During the original broadcast, Peters noted that producers appeared to be 'getting nervous' as the conversation veered off course, prompting staff to move things along.

Margolyes responded in the moment by insisting: "Don't be nervous. We welcome everybody. That's what I want to write about in my book. It's about inclusion."

UNILAD has contacted ITV and representatives for Miriam Margolyes for comment.