Leigh Francis in tears as he apologises for portraying black people on Bo' Selecta

Leigh Francis was in tears as he issued an apology for portraying black celebrities on his show \'Bo\' Selecta\'.

The 47-year-old comedian - who is best known for starring as character Keith Lemon in numerous shows - took to Instagram to share a video of himself saying sorry for his portrayals of celebrities such as Craig David and Michael Jackson on the 2002 programme.

He said in the clip: "My name\'s Leigh Francis I play a character called Keith Lemon on television.

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"It\'s been a weird few days, I\'ve sat and thought about things and what I could post to help things.

"Back in 2002, I did a show called \'Bo\' Selecta\'. I portrayed many black people. Back then I didn\'t think anything about it, people didn\'t say anything, I\'m not going to blame other people.

"I\'ve been talking to some people, I didn\'t realise how offensive it was back then.

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"I just want to apologise, I just want to say sorry for any upset I caused, whether I was Michael Jackson, Craig David, Trisha Goddard, all people I\'m a big fan of. I guess we\'re all on a learning journey."

The \'Celebrity Juice\' presenter admitted he is "deeply sorry" for any offence he caused on \'Bo\' Selecta\'.

He captioned the video: "Following recent events, I\'ve done a lot of talking and learning and I would like to put this out there. I want to apologise to anyone that was offended by Bo\'selecta. I\'m on a constant journey of knowledge and just wanted to say I\'m deeply sorry. #blacklivesmatter (sic)"

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Leigh\'s comments come after Black Lives Matter protests took place around many cities all over the world following the death of George Floyd, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck when restraining him.

Several stars sent Leigh messages of support following his post.

\'Coronation Street\' actress Alexandra Mardell shared: "Love you and all your shows, so admirable of you to apologise but I know me and my family were never offended! Lots of love (sic)"

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\'Hollyoaks\' star Kelle Bryan posted: "It\'s a conversation Leigh. Thanks for having the courage to start it (sic)"