Sir Lenny dines out on Ainsley Harriott gaffe

WHEN Sir Lenny Henry received his knighthood last year, ITV news was forced to apologise after acccidentally using footage of TV chef Ainsley Harriott to illustrate its broadcast about the comedian. But, true to form, Henry saw the funny side.

‘I haven’t seen Lenny since that incident,’ Harriott, 59, tells me, ‘but what did happen was he went into the Sky Garden, where my daughter works, and walked into the kitchen and said: “Don’t panic guys, it’s Lenny Henry not Ainsley Harriott!”

‘So that was a complete reversal.’ The former Ready, Steady, Cook host adds: ‘It was unfortunate because Lenny was talking about diversity at the time and when something like that happens, how much more diverse can you get? Two versions of Lenny Henry!’