Lorraine Kelly apologised to transgender star Eddie Izzard on Good Morning Britain on Thursday after she failed to correctly use female pronouns when talking to her.
Comedian Eddie, 58, recently requested to be referred to as ‘she’ and ‘her’ but Lorraine, Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway all used ‘he’ and ‘his’ multiple times.
Realising the error, Lorraine later said sorry and Eddie was gracious, saying her wish to be referred to as ‘she/her is a request and not a demand.’
Call me Eddie! Lorraine Kelly apologised to Eddie Izzard for failing to use female pronouns as the trans comedian told her on Thursday: ‘if people have a problem, just call me by my name’
Lorraine said: ‘Can I apologise to you for getting it wrong?’
Eddie replied: ‘Let me say this, I’ve been out for 35 years, 1985, and a lot of people were supportive about it. I was at the national portrait gallery and I said what do I like to be referred to as and I said she/her.
‘It’s a request, it’s never a demand, it’s never an insistence. People get twisted about it. Some people ask me are you serious about being trans?
‘If people have a problem, just call me Eddie, I’m gender fluid. If people are angry in the time where lies are used in the tools of politics, I’m trying to tell what is actually going on.
Mistake: Ben Shephard, Kate Garraway and Lorraine all accidentally used male pronouns when talking to Eddie on the show and viewers took to Twitter to ask them to ‘be careful’
‘The genetic thing in transgender, transgender health… make it fair for everyone or we’re not going to make it, we have a right to a chance in life, or it doesn’t matter.’
She continued: ‘If anyone refers to me as she/her it’s a wonderful feeling, but if people refer to me as he or Eddie I just want to back off it. [not argue].
‘All girls are foetus’s, the nipples are there because they could have been breasts… stop being so obsessed about this, we are all human beings, we need to make it work.’
Lorraine said: ‘You’re a fantastic woman, a fantastic human being.’
Eddie said of her wish to be called she/her: ‘It’s a request, it’s never a demand, it’s never an insistence. People get twisted about it’
Eddie replied: ‘Thank you for being so supportive, and [getting teary] it’s great that you’re there.’
Before the apology, viewers had expressed their disappointment after hosts had failed to correctly use female pronouns on multiple occasions.
The TV star had appeared on the show to talk about her 31 marathon challenge, in which she is planning on running 31 marathons in 31 days for charity.
Viewers took to Twitter to implore the show’s presenters, before the apology took place to ‘be careful’ and to ‘please stop misgendering her.’
They wrote: ‘Eddie Izzard has asked to be referred to as female, please stop mis-gendering her.’
‘Please be careful when referring to @eddieizzard as their pronouns are she/her.’
‘They called Eddie Izzard a he #GMB.’
Impressive: The TV star had appeared on the show to talk about her 31 marathon challenge, in which she is planning on running 31 marathons in 31 days for charity
‘Did they just refer to #eddieizzard as he? Thought Eddie was she/her now?’
‘Not Good Morning Britain, getting @eddieizzard pronouns wrong, not by 1, not 2, but 3 separate people on multiple occasions.’
While the error was unlikely to be a malicious one, Eddie has been very clear about her wishes to be addressed with female pronouns.
Later on in the show, Lorraine spoke about Eddie again and used a male pronoun once again before realising and correcting herself.
Lots of people took to Twitter after noticing the hosts’ multiple errors
She said: ‘He is… she is running 31 marathons in 31 days.’
She appeared on Thursday’s Sky Arts programme Portrait Artist Of The Year in which contestants had to create a portrait of the star.
During the show, Eddie directly asked if she could publicly be referred to as ‘she’ and her.’
She said: ‘This is the first programme I’ve asked if I can be she and her, a little transition period.
‘People just assume, well, know me from before… I’m genderfluid, I just want to be based in girl mode from now on.’
Taking to Twitter in the days after the show was aired, fans praised the TV personality and shared positive messages of support.
Praise: Eddie was recently applauded for requesting the use of ‘she’ and her ‘pronouns’ during a recent TV appearance on Thursday’s Sky Arts programme Portrait Artist Of The Year
In July last year, Eddie asked to be called a ‘she’, despite previously refusing to be pinned down on gender, describing an identity that is ‘boyish and girlish’.
While receiving an honorary degree at Swansea University, she made the request.
The ceremony’s press release used female pronouns to celebrate Izzard’s career, saying: ‘In 2009 she completed 43 marathons in 51 days…
‘She has been a Labour party activist for most of her life… She twice attempted to be elected for a seat on Labour’s National Executive.’ A university spokesman said: ‘We were asked by Eddie to use her/she pronouns in the press release.’
Izzard identified as a transvestite on rising to prominence in the 80s, but more recently has preferred to use the term ‘transgender’.
The star told The Mail on Sunday in September: ‘When I’m in girl mode I am happy to be known as “she” and when I’m in boy-mode, I am happy to be known as “he”. But I am equally happy to be referred to as Eddie or “Hey mate”.’
Preference: In July last year, Eddie asked to be called a ‘she’ while receiving an honorary degree at Swansea University, despite previously refusing to be pinned down on gender