Columnist Jan Moir has apologised for any offence caused by her article on the death of Boyzone singer, Stephen Gately.
Digital Spy reports there was widespread criticism of the Daily Mail writer last week after suggested his death "strikes another blow to the happy-ever-after myth of civil partnerships". She also said his death was "not, by any yardstick, a natural one".
In a article published in today’s Daily Mail she writes "Obviously, a great deal of offence has been taken and I regret any affront caused. This was never my intention.
"To be the focus of such depth of feeling has been an interesting experience, but I do not complain. After all, I am not - unlike those close to Stephen Gately - mourning for the loss of a much-loved partner, son, family member and close friend. To them, I would like to say sorry if I have caused distress by the insensitive timing of the column, published so close to the funeral."
Moir said many of her remarks were misinterpreted adding: "This brings me back to the bile, the fury, the inflammatory hate mail and the repeated posting of my home address on the internet. To say it was a hysterical overreaction would be putting it mildly, though clearly much of it was an orchestrated campaign by pressure groups and those with agendas of their own.
"However, I accept that many people - on Twitter and elsewhere - were merely expressing their own personal and heartfelt opinions or grievances. This said, I can't help wondering - is there a compulsion today to see bigotry and social intolerance where none exists by people who are determined to be outraged? Or was it a failure of communication on my part?"
