Davina McCall seems to have backtracked on her “stiff” response to Princess Diana’s statue by deleting her comment.
On Thursday, Princes William and Harry reunited to unveil a bronze statue of their late mother, in honour of what would have been her 60th birthday.
Sculpted by Ian Rank-Broadley, it stands in the Sunken Garden, one of Princess Diana’s favourite areas of Kensington Palace, and shows her standing with her arms outstretched, as three children surround her.
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While plenty of people think the statue is a worthy tribute, the sculpture has divided some opinions.
One of the most prominent voices to comment was that of former Good Morning Britain host, Piers Morgan—who Tweeted after the unveiling, “Let’s be honest—it's not a great statue of Diana.”
Let’s be honest - it’s not a great statue of Diana. pic.twitter.com/V8KZkbDmFFJuly 1, 2021
Seemingly sharing the sentiment, Davina replied to Piers’ comment with her take, “I really wanted to like it. But somehow… it doesn’t feel very Diana? Her joie de vivre… her radiance, her compassion. It feels stiff.”
Though everyone’s entitled to have an opinion, some commenters weren’t too happy with hers nor Piers’—and weren’t shy to let them know.
“Well her sons, brothers & sister are happy with it. Her sons chose what she was wearing and how she was depicted. As they’re happy it has s**t all to do with anyone else,” wrote one.
Not long afterward, Davina deleted her comment. Yet, the negative responses don’t appear to have deterred Piers Morgan; he deemed Davina choosing to delete her tweet as “bullying and abuse” before stating, “Suffice it to say, I won’t be deleting my statue critique—because it’s true.”
Someone else who also wasn’t wholly thrilled by the statue is Lorraine Kelly, who commented on it in the Friday edition of her ITV morning show.
Despite appreciating the fact that the interpretation makes her look “strong”, the Glaswegian TV presenter admitted that she just doesn’t think the statue “does her justice”.
“Of course, it was all about the boys and if they’re happy, then that’s fine,” she continued, noting the significance the piece has to William and Harry, who were only aged 15 and 12 at the time of their mother’s death.
“Maybe it looks better in real life. I have to reserve judgment until I can see it for myself.”
On the day of the statue’s unveiling, after four years of work, the Princes released a joint statement remembering Princess Diana and her “love, strength and character – qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better.
“Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy.”