A number of Loose Women viewers are unhappy that the panelist hasn't been wearing a poppy ahead of Armistice Day
Loose Women viewers have taken to Twitter to ask why Loose Women panelist Jamelia has chosen not to wear a poppy.
The Birmingham-born singer recently explained that she does support what the poppy stands for and wears one on Armistice Day, but a handful of Twitter users insisted she should "show respect to our fallen" and wear one.
This week, after noticing Jamelia - and Janet Street Porter - weren't wearing a poppy while the rest of the panel was, one viewer wrote: “@loosewomen Jamelia has been on all week without wearing a poppy I know it’s a free country put she should show respect to our fallen!!!!"
“Why aren’t Jamelia & JSP wearing a poppy?” asked another.
While someone else said “@Jamelia How ignorant are you! What does it take to wear a poppy what were you trying to prove! Obviously you know nothing about the wars."
"@loosewomen nice to see all the ladies wearing poppy's today. Unlike jamelia!!! [sic]," a viewer commented while watching today's show.
Speaking on the daytime show, Jamelia addressed why she's made the decision not to wear one, explaining: "I completely appreciate and respect what the poppy stands for, I support and I always donate to the poppy appeal, I don't feel the need to display it publicly.
"I support and donate to many different charities, it would be very unrealistic for me to wear all of the badges, bands from the charities I support all the time.
"On Armistice Day if I am doing something professionally then I will wear one as I think it's important on that day to show respect and show that you care."
And Janet Street Porter also recently explained why she chooses not to wear a poppy, saying “there are better ways to show you care”.
Writing in her column for Yahoo.com, Janet said she supports many charities, but doesn’t feel comfortable wearing any “kind of badge on television”.
“I also think headteachers are right to ban pupils from wearing badges and poppies on their uniforms, as well as wristbands. School should be a neutral zone, where learning is paramount, with no distractions. What kids do outside the gates is their own business,” she explained.
Janet also mentions ITV News presenter Charlene White who was forced to explain why she choses not to wear one after suffering abuse on Twitter, saying she is a patron of many charities and doesn't feel comfortable singling out just one on TV.
Back in 2010 Jon Snow also caused a stir when he refused to wear a poppy. A viewer told the presenter he was "dishonouring" the war dead in doing so.
“You alone dishonour them by not wearing a poppy. You look what you are on your bike,” said the viewer.
Snow reacted angrily, replying: "Stan, they died that we might be free to wear a poppy whenever we wish. I wish to wear mine on Remembrance Sunday.
"When you wish to wear yours is your business. Compelling people to wear poppies because YOU think they OUGHT to is precisely the poppy fascism, or intolerance, that I have complained of in the past.
"On yer bike Stan, with or without a poppy, it is all your own free choice. Hitler lost the war!"
