Rylan Clark returned to This Morning on Friday, following his earlier remarks about immigration that sparked debate. During a segment on Wednesday, he stated that 'migrants saved my mum's life', referencing the many foreign-born doctors and nurses who have treated his mother.
In his initial comments, Clark said: 'This country is built on immigration. Legal immigration - a lot of the nurses, the doctors that have saved my mum's life have come over here from other countries. They're living a great life, they're paying into this tax system, they're helping this country thrive.' He also criticised the treatment of illegal immigrants, contrasting it with the struggles of homeless British citizens.
On Friday's show, Clark avoided revisiting the topic during the news segment, but co-host Josie Gibson made a playful remark, saying 'Carol Vorderman over here might know' after Ashley James challenged birth rate figures. Clark quickly replied: 'I'm not getting involved.'
Following his appearance on Wednesday, Clark took to Instagram to clarify his position, writing: 'You can be pro immigration and against illegal routes. You can support trans people and have the utmost respect for women. You can be heterosexual and still support gay rights. The list continues. Stop with this putting everyone in a box exercise and maybe have conversations instead of shouting on twitter.'
During the earlier discussion, Clark acknowledged that his views would not please everyone, saying: 'Everyone's going to have an opinion about this and you're going to upset someone. Something major needs to be done about this.' He questioned the disparity in treatment between British citizens arriving without passports and illegal immigrants arriving by boat.
