Yahoo News Kirstie Allsopp defends making crafting show in lockdown: "We're helping people"
Kirstie Allsopp has said she “robustly defends” filming her crafting show during the coronavirus lockdown.
The Location, Location, Location star housed a TV crew at her Devon estate in order to shoot 10 episodes of Keep Crafting and Carry On, now airing on Channel 4.
Allsopp told Yahoo UK: “What we produced under strict protocol was something which helped people stay at home and stay safe. It’s a positive thing.”
The 48-year-old TV presenter said she had been inundated with messages on Twitter from keyworkers, carers and those living alone praising the show and revealing that craft was helping them get through the current situation.
Read more: Kirstie Allsopp quit Twitter after she was abused for smashing her kids' iPads
THANK YOU SO MUCH whatever the Sun prints tomorrow, I now know for certain that many of you felt filming at home as we did, within strict protocols, was the right thing to do. #Craftmatters, Entertaining TV matters, and I’m proud of what we did. 🦹🏻♀️🐝🐞🌸🦉🥑🧻🗺🧶🧵@RTRPGlasgow
— Kirstie Allsopp (@KirstieMAllsopp) May 5, 2020
The Sun reported that a crew of eight people came to Allsopp’s home in Broadhembury, Devon to film the show having self-isolated for weeks in advance.
One local resident told the paper: “Many of us our elderly. It’s highly irresponsible.”
Allsopp added: “I robustly defend what we did. You can’t please all of the people of the time. But my argument has always been that craft matters.”
She tweeted: “What I HATE about this is that makng #KeepCraftingCarryon was only positive, it kept people in work, it provided something new and engaging to watch, so many families saw it and enjoyed making the crafts, why do people have to make bad out of good?!”
What I HATE about this is that makng #KeepCraftingCarryon was only positive, it kept people in work, it provided something new and engaging to watch, so many families saw it and enjoyed making the crafts, why do people have to make bad out of good?!
— Kirstie Allsopp (@KirstieMAllsopp) May 5, 2020
A spokesperson for Channel 4 said: "All filming was carefully conducted in line with government guidelines and the minimal crew adhered to strict protocols and followed social distancing throughout."
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The TV presenter previously faced criticism for moving to her country home after her partner tested positive for COVID-19.
The Location, Location, Location presenter revealed in her column in The Times that after partner Ben Andesen was diagnosed with coronavirus they decided to take their children – Oscar, 11, Bay, 13, Hal, 17, and Lydia, 19 – out of school and move to their second home in Devon.
This prompted accusations on social media that she was irresponsible for spreading the virus to a rural area with limited medical facilities.
Allsopp said: “I think some of the reporting has been highly irresponsible and unkind to me and my family.
“People should spend time in the place where they are best able to safeguard their families.
“The hashtags I have been using are #BeKind but also #BeSensible. We all have a responsibility to be sensible and be kind. And think twice before writing or saying anything which isn’t true.”
