Mark Wright issues apology after fans slam ‘poor taste’ post following horror Air India crash
Mark Wright has apologised after facing criticism for sharing a photograph featuring a private jet on the same day as the tragic Air India plane crash.
The 38-year-old former TOWIE star posted an image of himself, wife Michelle Keegan and their three-month-old daughter Palma posing in front of the aircraft, alongside a joke about flying “with no extra leg room”.
The post, which has since been deleted, was deemed insensitive by followers given the timing. According to reports, Wright had written alongside the image: “1 day babe, for now we’ll take row 26 with no extra leg room.”
His followers quickly highlighted the poor timing. One person commented: “Prob not the best day to post this when so many people lost their lives on a plane.” Another wrote: “Poor taste given today’s event.”
“Not really appropriate to put this up after today’s plane crash,” another commented, The Daily Star reports.
Wright has since issued an apology, explaining that the post had been pre-scheduled during his recent Spanish holiday.
The Heart radio presenter took to his Instagram Stories to address the backlash, calling the timing a “horrendous coincidence.”
In his statement, Wright explained: “I apologise for a post I just put up on my page after today’s heartbreaking events.
“I have posts from a holiday that are on the scheduled setting, which go out on future days I have set them for which was done last week.”
Wright emphasised that he deleted the post immediately upon realising what had occurred.
He continued: “It’s a horrendous coincidence that today’s post was on such a devastating day. Once I logged in to my Instagram and realised the post had gone out, I immediately deleted it.”
The former reality television star concluded his apology by expressing sympathy for those affected by the tragedy.
He wrote: “My heart goes out to everyone who has been effected from today. I’m sorry for this mistake and any offence caused.”
The television personality and his wife had been documenting their trip to Spain with their baby daughter, marking Palma’s first holiday abroad.
They were joined by members of Wright’s family and are understood to have already returned to the UK.
In the post, Wright appeared to be making a lighthearted complaint about travelling on commercial flights, joking about the lack of legroom in standard seating.
Posted on Thursday, it came just hours after the Air India flight had crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, bound for Gatwick Airport in London.
According to flight tracking data, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s final signal was received less than a minute into the journey at 1:38pm local time.
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It is thought only one of the 241 people on the plane survived, with Brit Vishwash Kumar Ramesh making a miraculous escape.
Speaking to GB News, aviation expert Anita Mendiratta claimed that Ramesh survived “two extreme events” to walk away from the rubble.