Two Celebrity Traitors stars have become the latest public figures to spark controversy by not wearing a poppy while appearing on a BBC TV show.
All 19 contestants appeared on BBC2’s Celebrity Traitors Uncloaked on Thursday night as they reacted to the final of the hit reality show, which saw Alan Carr pull off a dramatic double bluff and walk away with £87,500 for his charity.
But while many of the Faithfuls – and even the three Traitors – were seen sporting poppies with their outfits, two of the stars notably opted not to wear one.
Charlotte Church and Ruth Codd appeared to ditch the Remembrance Day symbol just days away from official memorial on November 11.
Welsh singer Ms Church has been heavily involved in other charities over the years including The Awen Project, which she co-founded with her husband Jonathan Powell to reform education.
Meanwhile, Irish actress Ms Codd has been a passionate advocate for disability awareness after having her right leg amputated when she was young.
They are the latest stars to opt out of wearing a poppy while appearing on TV this month after Loose Women host Charlene White appeared without one on the ITV panel show earlier this week.
Mirror columnist Kevin Maguire was also seen without a poppy on Tuesday morning’s episode of Good Morning Britain, having previously said he opts not to wear one until the week before Remembrance Sunday.
Charlotte Church and Ruth Codd appeared to ditch the Remembrance Day symbol on an episode of BBC2’s Celebrity Traitors Uncloaked on Thursday night
Church was sat next to a number of her Traitors co-stars who, unlike her, opted to wear a poppy as part of their outfits
Irish actress Ms Codd also appeared to ditch the symbol as she joined the celebs in reacting to the final of the hit reality show
The Poppy Appeal, which launched on October 23 this year, has prompted the majority of presenters appearing on television to wear poppies as a mark of respect.
The symbol is typically worn in the weeks ahead of Armistice Day on November 11 to commemorate the armed forces who have died in conflicts – and the annual Poppy Appeal, dating back to 1921, raises funds for the Royal British Legion’s work supporting armed forces veterans.
Poppy Appeal sales hit a record £55million in 2018, then were £46.5million the following year, but plunged to £27.9million in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns.
They have since risen to £42.2million in 2021 then slipped to £39.3million in 2022, before improving to £41.9million in 2023 and £51.4million last year – with the latest sum being almost one third of the Legion’s annual £160.7million income.
Mr Maguire and Ms White have previously defended their decisions not to wear poppies following backlash online.
The political journalist described how he ‘wore his poppy with pride’ in the week of Remembrance Sunday, thinking of his ‘mother’s brother who drowned’ during the Second World War as well as his ‘grandfather wounded in the Somme’.
And the pundit said he felt ‘poppy shaming is counterproductive’ to the efforts of the Royal British Legion, who raise money to support Armed Forces members and veterans.
Meanwhile, in an article she wrote for ITV last year, the ITV presenter explained her decision stemmed only from impartiality rules concerning her other charity work.
White wrote that it was ‘never an easy decision due to the racist and sexist abuse’ she receives on social media, and admitted she knew it ‘provoked a lot of anger’.
Kevin Maguire (right) opted not to wear a poppy as he joined the Daily Mail’s Andrew Pierce (left), Susanna Reid and Ed Balls to discuss the latest news on GMB
Loose Women viewers were left up in arms after Charlene White refused to wear a poppy ahead of Remembrance Day while appearing on the ITV show
However, she said that broadcasting regulations meant she was not permitted to visually support charities while presenting ITV’s news programming.
Listing a number of charitable organisations of which she is a patron but cannot mention on screen, she concluded that it made her ‘feel uncomfortable supporting just one charity above all others, namely The Royal British Legion’.
Charlene clarified that she ‘fully supports colleagues who do choose to wear the poppy’ and that in her private life ‘it’s very different’ for the star, donating to the British Legion each year and wearing a poppy on Armistice Day.
She also told how she had a ‘ceramic poppy from the Tower of London on her mantlepiece’, as she urged viewers not to presume she does not support the work of service personnel.
She added: ‘Please don’t think that I don’t understand the sacrifices made by servicemen and women 100 years ago. I do.
‘It is always important to remember what my family, your family, and millions of people over many generations have fought for: the right to choose, and the right of freedom of speech and expression.’
After the latest furious backlash from fans, she took to social media with a photo of her father in RAF uniform while discussing how he had recently taken his own life.
Charlene wrote: ‘My dad, in uniform during his years in the RAF. An immigrant from Jamaica, who signed up to join the British Armed Services when he was just a teenager.
‘I post this, as despite the fact I’m barely on the TV at the moment because I’m still grieving his shocking passing (and live TV is difficult for me at the moment) the hate, vitriol and racism aimed at me because of my personal decision not to wear a poppy *on air* has begun again.
‘I’ve also posted, for the first time, the support I’ve had from the start from the Royal British Legion, when all the abuse first begun back in 2013.
The ITV News presenter has opted not to wear a poppy in previous years. explained her decision stemmed only from impartiality rules concerning other charity work
Charlene shared a photograph of her late father, who served in the RAF after moving to the UK from Jamaica
‘I support the charity, I donate to its work, I believe in its work, and I wear a Poppy off screen. But I believe in the impartiality rules which exist in broadcasting regarding charities.
‘You may not agree with me, and I genuinely don’t expect everyone to, but disagreement does not legitimise the abuse.
‘It is not what my dad, my uncle, my close friends and millions of others served for.
‘And those who instigate and fan the flames of hate and racism, especially when they know full well I’m in the depths of trying navigate the world as a child of parental suicide, should honestly take a moment to think about their actions.’
Charlene also shared a letter from the Royal British Legion in November 2023, after she was criticised for not wearing a poppy.
An RBL official wrote: ‘I was very saddened to hear that you were subjected to the most vile abuse on social media sites following your decision not to wear a poppy on air during this year’s Poppy Appeal.
‘The poppy is a universal symbol that represents sacrifices made in the defence of freedom; and so the decision to wear it must be a matter of personal choice.
‘Millions of our Armed Forces personnel have defended, and given their lives for our right to live in a free and tolerant society. Those who bullied you go against these core values and should be ashamed of their behaviour.
‘The Royal British Legion fully supports your decision, and I would like to thank you for supporting us during this year’s Poppy Appeal.’
Representatives for Charlotte Church and Ruth Codd have been contacted for comment.
