Giovanna and Tom Fletcher apologise for 'huge error of judgement' after furlough use
16 June 2021, 10:01 | Updated: 16 June 2021, 10:41
The couple have issued a statement confirming that they have paid the money back.
Tom and Giovanna Fletcher have admitted they made "a mistake we wholeheartedly take responsibility for" after using the government furlough scheme.
The couple have said that they paid the full amount back after reportedly using the scheme to put one of their employers on furlough.
A report by The Sun the weekend suggested that they claimed up to £30,000 on the scheme. Tom and Giovanna have denied that this amount was claimed, but admitted that they did put one of their employers on furlough.
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In a statement posted on Instagram, the couple wrote: "Hi everyone, we’ve always had a very honest and open relationship with you all on here so we thought it was important to address questions that some of you have rightly asked us in the last 24 hours.
"This weekend there was an article in one of the Sunday papers about us using the government furlough scheme. While parts of the article were inaccurate (including all of the figures mentioned), it is true that we did follow financial advice to furlough someone we employ."
They added: "This was for a member of our team who couldn't carry out their role due to the pandemic, and the scheme was suggested to us as the most effective way to give them job stability and security.
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"Although it was a time of great uncertainty, we clearly should have thought more about the situation and funded it ourselves. It was a huge error of judgement and a mistake we wholeheartedly take responsibility for and we have paid the full amount back."
