Tom and Giovanna Fletcher: McFly star and author apologizes for using leave program – “it was a huge error in judgment” | Ents & Arts News

McFly star Tom Fletcher and his wife Giovanna have apologized for using the government leave program during the pandemic, saying it was “a huge error in judgment”.

The couple released a joint statement on social media on Tuesday following a report in The Sun over the weekend that Giovanna, an author and presenter who won I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here ! in 2020, had used the diet.

All the money was refunded, they said, but admitted it was “a mistake” to use taxpayer money to put an employee on leave.

In their statement, Giovanna, 36, and Mcfly Leader Tom, 35, said the newspaper’s reported financial figures that they had received up to £ 30,000 were incorrect, but it was true that they had used the scheme.

“Hello everyone, we have always had a very honest and open relationship with all of you here, so we felt it was important to answer the questions some of you have rightly asked us over the past 24 hours. hours, ”the couple said.

“This weekend there was an article in one of the Sunday papers about us using the government leave program. Although parts of the article are inaccurate (including all of the numbers mentioned), it is true that we took financial advice to put someone we employ on leave. “

The couple said the money was used for a member of their team who “was unable to perform their role due to the pandemic” and that the program was suggested as “the most effective way to give them stability and security of employment “.

They continued, “Although it has been a time of great uncertainty, we clearly should have thought more about the situation and funded it ourselves.

“It was a huge error in judgment and an error for which we wholeheartedly take responsibility and we …