RAPPER and author Darren McGarvey has become the latest to take on a new reality show starring Michelle Mone's daughter.
Chanel 4 show Born Famous features Bethany living in Bridgeton for a week to see how the other half lives.
Alison Thewliss MP was the first to criticise the show, calling it "Utterly despicable exploitation".
Utterly despicable exploitation of a kind, close-knit community. No area deserves "poverty safari" treatment, but particularly cruel of @MichelleMone to use East End roots to pick on Bridgeton, which has seen change led by local people, supported @clydegateway. @bridgeton_cc. https://t.co/08EH6HLhzT
— Alison Thewliss (@alisonthewliss) August 13, 2018
Now Darren - who raps as Loki - has said: "If they want to 'confront their feelings of privilege', I'd be happy to have a chat with them.
"I know they might mean well, but class experiences can be so divergent that good intentions may appear extremely vulgar and patronising."
The Conservative peer, 46, posted on social media a picture of herself and her daughter outside a tower block and wrote: “Very proud of my wee Bethany.”
Ms Thewliss tweeted: “Utterly despicable exploitation of a kind, close-knit community. No area deserves “poverty safari” treatment, but particularly cruel of @MichelleMone to use East End roots to pick on Bridgeton, which has seen change led by local people, supported @clydegateway. @bridgeton_cc.”
Glasgow comedian Janey Godley said Lady Mone was a Tory who "voted against giving the poorest people decent living benefits and now wants to do a 'Bridgeton Kardashian' to give her daughter some air time."
But Lady Mone, who grew up in Dennistoun, said: "I have to address some of the horrendous comments going around on social media [with reference to] the new Channel 4 show I am partaking in.
"My daughter Bethany has had an invaluable & overwhelmingly positive experience filming recently.
"It's so disappointing that people have made a snap judgement on what the series is about and I hope they will reserve further judgement for when they are able to view it.
"After people watch it a lot of people will owe us a big apology."
She said she had "so much respect for my background, home and the people of Glasgow especially the East End which you'll be able to see very soon".
She concluded by saying: "Another SNP moron opening their mouth again without knowing the facts and trying to cause trouble." She then blocked Alison Thewliss's tweets.
Channel 4 commissioning editor Emily Jones said Born Famous was about addressing the opportunities that exist for working class children.
She said: “There is a myth that talent will out whatever the circumstances.
"Using extraordinary access to some of our most successful celebrities, Born Famous is a novel way to explore the degree to which we’re all in denial about how hard it is to be young today.”
Jack Ramsay, son of TV chef Gordon Ramsay, will also appear on Born Famous, as well as Phoenix Chi, daughter of Spice Girl and America’s Got Talent judge Mel B.
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