Outcry after Liz Kershaw compares Cilla’s death to Savile’s
BBC Radio DJ Liz Kershaw was condemned yesterday f or ‘despicable’ remarks comparing celebrity tributes to Cilla Black to those about serial paedophile Jimmy Savile.
Her bizarre comments on Twitter came as the 72-year-old entertainer’s body was flown back to Britain nearly a week after she died at her luxury Spanish holiday retreat.
Miss Kershaw, 57, a music presenter on Radio 6, wrote: ‘When Savile died I was aghast and disgusted at celebs who knew him, yet trotted out tributes for their own publicity. Here we go again.’
She also claimed the star who became a national treasure had abandoned her Liverpudlian roots once she found fame, saying: ‘Cilla loved Liverpool so much she lived in Surrey and Spain.’
Reacting to her comments, Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: ‘I can’t even imagine what Cilla Black’s relatives must be thinking. It is so far beyond bad taste for her to compare Cilla Black to a prolific paedophile.’
One radio listener wrote on Twitter: ‘I hate Liz Kershaw, and I hope Radio 6 sacks her after her despicable remarks about Cilla!’ Another said: ‘How can you compare Savile with Cilla? Seems to me you are jumping on the bandwagon for publicity in hope of getting noticed.’
Asked on Twitter last night if she had really compared Miss Black to Savile, Miss Ker- shaw replied: ‘Absolutely not.’ A BBC spokesman said: ‘The comments were made on Liz’s personal social media account.’
Miss Black’s body is said to have been embalmed and dressed before being flown in a coffin from Malaga Airport to London Gat- wick yesterday. It was met by undertakers, who will prepare for her funeral, expected to take place near her ten-bedroom family home in Denham, Buckinghamshire.
Miss Black’s sons Robert, 44, Ben, 41, and Jack, 35, who have been at her villa near Estepona, are to travel back to the UK today.
The Blind Date presenter fell and hit her head while sunbathing on her bedroom terrace. A post-mortem report said she had suffered a rare form of stroke.
Yesterday, her album The Very Best Of reached No 14 in the official albums chart as fans continued to pay tribute to her.