Andre Gray has gone on a line of defence for his fiancé Leigh-Anne Pinnock as the forward readdresses his colourist past.
The Little Mix singer will feature in a BBC documentary ‘Leigh-Anne: Colourism and Race’, which sparked a debate whether Leigh-Anne – as a mixed-race light skin woman – should represent the colourism topic over someone of darker skin.
Colourism itself is a historic issue of prejudice or discrimination to darker skin tones over lighter skin tones.
Gray stepped in as Leigh-Anne’s fiancé to defend her, and some users on Twitter retaliated by bringing back Gray’s controversial past tweets from 2012.
The forward previously admitted fault in 2016 to a series of past tweets which read: “Black girls with red lip stick is like burnt toast with jam on it #leaaaaveityeahhhhh.”
Another controversial tweet, although unrelated to the colourism topic, read: “Is it me or are there gays everywhere? #Burn #Die #Makesmesick.”
After a Twitter user questioned Leigh-Anne’s documentary by bringing up his old colourist tweet, Gray admitted that his past attitudes were “part of the problem.”
He responded: “Yes that was me! Never hid from it, I was part of the problem of this whole issue but this is not the argument, it’s about people tryna bring my fiancé into s**t for sharing her experience on race and using her platform.”
Yes that WAS me! Never hid from it, i was part of the problem of this whole issue but this is not the argument, its about people tryna bring my fiancé into shit for sharing her experience on race and using her platform
— Andre Gray (@AndreGray) February 7, 2021
The Twitter user then asked whether Leigh-Anne would address this colourist tweet in her documentary.
In response, Gray said: “She is leading a conversation because she has the platform to do it, or maybe a black woman in a similar position as her didn’t want to do it, who knows? I have apologised and yes, it is addressed in the documentary, among a lot of other things.”
In another tweet, Gray said he “educated” himself because he was not educated on “any matter of race” while growing up. He also admitted his experiences to race is different to those of a darker skinned person, and says he “grew up and learnt” about his light skinned privilege.
In 2016, Gray was slammed for his tweets, where he assured people he is a “completely different man” to who he is today.
In a recent interview for Watford FC’s Youtube channel, Gray said he needed to "be a man" and not try to hide away from the fact that his output on and off the pitch has not been up to the standard expected by the club, or its supporters.
This follows after his extended spell of poor form, and breaching lockdown protocols.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel