Bruce Forsyth: Foot in mouth syndrome gets him in hot waterBruce Forsyth has insisted that he does not "excuse or condone" racism following his defense of Strictly Come Dancing colleague Anton Du Beke.

The statement comes after the TV host was blasted for suggesting the nation should have a "sense of humour" over Anton's controversial comments.

During a radio interview on Wednesday, Bruce defended the dancer's use of the term "p**i" during a conversation with celebrity partner Laila Rouass, suggesting that the term was "harmless" and the incident wouldn't have been taken so seriously in the past.

But following complaints and criticism from anti-racism groups, Bruce has issued a statement to clarify his comments.

"I have been asked by a number of journalists to clarify what I meant and am therefore issuing this statement via the BBC, though I must emphasise that these are my personal views and not necessarily those of the BBC.

"What Anton said to Laila was wrong and he has apologised unreservedly for this. Nor do I in any way excuse or condone the use of such language. To be absolutely clear, the use of racially offensive language is never either funny or acceptable."

He added: "However, there is a major difference between this and racist comments which are malicious in intent and while I accept that we live in a world of extraordinary political correctness, we should keep things in perspective."

The BBC is also standing by Anton, despite receiving 487 complaints over the incident and calls for him to be sacked. One insider told The Sun: "The BBC are only accepting his apology because he is one of their stars. He already fronts Hole In The Wall and is being tipped for big things."

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