Miriam Margolyes reappears at awards ceremony after 'racism row'

Miriam Margolyes made her first public appearance at the Pride Of Britain Awards on Monday since she was embroiled in a 'racism row' with presenter Andi Peters.

The 85-year-old actress attended the event at London's Grosvenor Hotel, choosing a striking blue dress paired with grey trainers.

The controversy arose last month when Margolyes referred to Peters as 'high yalla,' an outdated and offensive slang term used in the United States to describe a Black person with a light complexion. The term, also spelled 'high yaller' or 'high yellow,' was used by Margolyes when asking about Peters' race after he stated both his parents were Black.

During the exchange, Margolyes commented, "Oh, you're a mix, aren't you? You've got a black daddy and a white mummy." Peters clarified, "Both my parents are black," before Margolyes added, "Both parents are I think you're what I would call a 'high yalla'. That's what they call it in America. Oh, when someone isn't deeply black, right?"

Producers reportedly issued a warning through Peters' earpiece, prompting him to announce, "They're getting nervous now." Margolyes responded, "Don't be nervous. We welcome everybody. That's what I want to write about in my book. It's about inclusion."

Following the incident, Margolyes addressed the remarks during an audience event to promote her memoir, "Miriam’s Full English." She stated that she did not intend to embarrass or hurt Peters, whom she had not met before. She explained her fascination with people's identities, saying, "I wanted to know what he thought about it because that's what interests me. How do black people feel? How do brown people feel? How do cripples feel? How do fat people feel? You see what I mean? All of us feel something about who we are and how people see us, what they think of us."

The host clarified that she wanted to discuss his identity, to which Margolyes agreed, emphasizing her interest in understanding "what made them who they are, why you are the way you are."

Margolyes' comments, which were removed from the ITVX recording of the show, generated significant backlash on social media.