Celebs Go Dating star defends Stephen Webb amid backlash
Celebs Go Dating expert Anna Williamson has defended Stephen Webb following the backlash he's received from viewers.
The former Gogglebox star has recently received criticism for his conduct on the reality dating show, after one of his dates, Dean Muir, said he displayed "crude" and "inappropriate" behaviour.
Anna has now come to Stephen's defence, telling Yahoo that she "adores" the reality star and hasn't "enjoyed seeing a lot of the negative feedback that Stephen's been getting".
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"That could not be further away from the man that I know and I'm really looking forward to everyone seeing Stephen's progression," she added.
"I love him and he doesn't deserve some of the horrible headlines because he's a very, very lovely man."
Anna went onto explain that Stephen "just wasn't aware of how he was coming across on dates" and encouraged viewers to "hold all judgement of Stephen and stick with him through to the end of this process".
The dating expert continued: "Because if somebody gets an award for taking on board feedback and executing it, it's Stephen.
"I think it has been the biggest lesson in love and that's why I want viewers to be kind. The point of Celebs Go Dating is that in the early stages, in particular, we see them making mistakes. But they're making the mistakes that so many people make and I think we need to be a bit kinder to the judgment we give celebrities and someone like Stephen.
"Yeah, it's been hard for me to see him get some backlash because he doesn't deserve it. He's a wonderful guy, and the proof is in the pudding at the end of this series."
Related: Celebs Go Dating's Stephen Webb opens up about divorce in emotional scene
During last Monday's (August 26) episode of Celebs Go Dating, Dean gave Stephen the lowest mark for their date.
"Stephen was overtly sexual," he said. "Innuendos from the very first minute. You said some things that were totally inappropriate to me… We were having a laugh and getting shots but you switched like that.
"When you thought you weren’t getting reciprocation in the same way, you then started to say I was 'boring' and you turned on me before trying to humiliate me."
In his VT, Stephen said he was "shocked" by the response, explaining that he didn't want to "offend anybody" despite admitting that he may go "over the top" with his humour.
Celebs Go Dating airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 9pm on E4.
Read more Celebs Go Dating news on our dedicated homepage
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