Sharon Osbourne has said she is “truly sorry” if she caused offence with comments she made in a row about Piers Morgan.

She hit the headlines when she defended Morgan, who quit his Good Morning Britain job after saying he did not believe the Duchess of Sussex‘s allegations about royal life – most notably around race and mental health – in her interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Osbourne, 68, made her original comments on US show The Talk, saying: “I feel like I’m about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend who many people think is a racist so that makes me a racist.”

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Now she has tweeted, after “some reflection”, that she is “truly sorry”.

Osbourne wrote: “I have always been embraced with so much love and support from the black community and I have deep respect and love for the black community.

“To anyone of colour that I offended and/or to anyone that feels confused or let down by what I said, I am truly sorry.

“I panicked, felt blindsided, got defensive and allowed my fear and horror of being accused of being racist take over.

“There are very few things that hurt my heart more than racism so to feel associated with that spun me fast!

“I am not perfect, I am still learning like the rest of us and will continue to learn, listen and do better.”

Osbourne had also tweeted her support for Morgan, saying: “I am with you. I stand by you. People forget that you’re paid for your opinion and that you’re just speaking your truth.”

Now she has said: “Please hear me when I say I do not condone racism, misogyny or bullying.

“I should have been more specific about that in my tweet. I will always support freedom of speech, but now I see how I unintentionally didn’t make that clear distinction.”

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Morgan had praised Osbourne for tweeting her support for him, describing her as a “true friend”.

“She knew she would get abused by the woke brigade for tweeting this – but did it anyway because it’s what she believes,” he added.

Meanwhile, the presenter has said he will not be returning to Good Morning Britain, after petitions calling for him to be reinstated reached a combined total of almost 200,000 signatures.

He wrote on Twitter: “I won’t be going back, but thanks to everyone who has signed these petitions. Normally, people start petitions to have me fired or deported, so this is a pleasant surprise.”

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