Dancing On Ice bosses are looking to replace under-fire Rufus Hound with Matt Richardson, according to claims.
It comes after Rufus was slammed as old controversial tweets resurfaced, causing fans and executives to question his position.
The 41-year-old comedian was called out for tweeting racist words in 2012 and seemingly glorifying a song about rape by Peter Wyngarde.
The presenter. who is currently battling with coronavirus, also made comments previously about the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 which claimed 23 lives.
And as he now faces a slew of disapproving faces from fans and execs from the hit ITV show, it seems as though bosses have eyed up radio presenter Matt, 29, to take his spot.
Rufus Hound has come under-fire for old controversial tweets (Image: ITV)
A source told The Sun : “Bosses are panicking that Rufus is bad for the show and his comments have upset Robin and some of the other pros.”
“They are a diverse and multicultural bunch and it’s embarrassing and disappointing that someone who makes these insensitive jokes is allowed on the show,” the source went on.
“Robin is all about empowering women and being positive and it’s been tough for her to stomach. His comments have been outrageous.”
Rufus took to Twitter on Friday night to share an update with fans after being absent from last weekend’s show, and consecutively this one’s, reports The Mirror.
“I’ve had Covid. Isolated when I knew I’d come into contact with it, tested five days later, am coming to the end of having had it, luckily v mild case,” he wrote.
A source has said Matt Richardson could be replacing Rufus (Image: WireImage)
A spokesperson for ITV told The Mirror: “Rufus Hound came into contact with someone outside of the show who tested positive for Covid 19.
“This means, following government guidelines, he is currently isolating. We are hoping to welcome him back to the ice soon.”
However ITV declined to comment on reports of Matt replacing Rufus.
Rufus angered fans by seemingly glorifying the song about rape, saying: “Have you heard his album? Oh my s! It starts with literally a seduction.
The comedian is currently isolating after contracting coronavirus (Image: Matt Frost/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
“And one track, I s**t you not, is his take on how rape works in different countries, doing the different ’70s racist accents of the people committing the rape,” Rufus said.
“It sounds like I must be making it up in order to make it weirder for you to struggle to make you believe. It absolutely genuinely exists — and I urge you all to buy it.”
The song is widely dubbed as one of the most disturbingly racist recordings ever made.
Old tweets from the comedian were first reported by The Sun which show Rufus use the word “r****d” in 2011, refer to Ed Sheeran as a “gay lord” in 2012, and also tweeted racist words beginning with the letters n and p in 2012.
Ahead of the report, Rufus shared a link to a thread of tweets he shared in September 2020 in response to complaints about his tweets at the time.
Daily Star has contacted both Matt Richardson and Rufus Hound’s representatives for comment.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
