Ex-footballer and TV presenter Gary Lineker received support from another high-profile TV star on March 11, amid a row over tweets he posted criticising the UK government.

Carol Vorderman, a well-known figure in the UK who previously worked on the television show Countdown, recorded footage out BBC Broadcasting House in London, in which she shows a statue of novelist George Orwell, and quoted Orwell, saying, “If Liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”

Vorderman added the hashtag #IStandWithGary.

According to the BBC, Lineker was told to step back from his role of hosting Match of the Day following comments made on his social media in opposition to the government’s Illegal Migration Bill.

The BBC said that Lineker should “keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies”.

Lineker, a former England football international, is the BBC’s highest paid presenter.

Numerous presenters and pundits pulled out of match commentary this weekend in solidarity with Lineker, causing the BBC to reschedule their sports programming.

DJ Fatboy Slim showed his support for Gary Lineker on Friday, March 10, by projecting the Match of the Day presenter’s face onto a screen during a performance. Credit: Carol Vorderman via Storyful