Shila Iqbal apologises for tweets that got her sacked from Emmerdale

23 April 2019, 16:08

The actress claimed she no longer has the offensive words in her vocabulary - citing the "rap culture" of her childhood as the major influence

Disgraced actress Shila Iqbal appeared on This Morning to apologise for historic offensive tweets that were branded as homophobic and racist.

Within hours of the story breaking, Shila lost her role in the Emmerdale cast after being marched to the producers' office.

Shila told hosts Holly and Phil: "There was no malicious intent behind those tweets, it was a conversation - banter in a way - between my group of friends.

"It was heavily influenced by the music - the hip-hop and rap music that we listened to - and our surroundings. That did help determine the language which we used. We did use it freely, although wrongly. I don't think I understood the true meanings behind them, and the implications, and the hurt that they cause."

Phillip Schofield then asked Shila if she believes her dismissal was a fair action from Emmerdale producers.

She answered: "To be honest, I think that if the person has changed and shown remorse and your attitudes have changed, then no you shouldn't be judged on that. You should be judged on the person you are today."

Shila spoke of her new mission to educate young kids on the words they use online and how it could affect their future, and those they communicate with.

She vowed: "I know I have made a terrible mistake, but I want to use my negative situations to bring about positives from it, and help raise awareness to the younger generation that the words we use and how we use them has a huge impact."

READ MORE: Emmerdale’s Shila Iqbal fired from role of Aiesha Richards after racist tweets