Who is Celia Walden? Piers Morgan's wife slams Meghan Markle's 'Oscar-winning performance' on Oprah's interview
Just hours before British broadcaster Piers Morgan created headlines by quitting 'Good Morning Britain' on Tuesday, March 9, his wife Celia Walden wrote a column that the Duchess of Sussex delivered a performance that was worthy of 'Best Actress In A Leading Role' award. Morgan was chastised on camera by one of his colleagues for his comments on Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey over the weekend.
Walden, 45, who writes for the Daily Telegraph, echoed her husband's views on the Sussexes' explosive interview with Oprah. In the column which was headlined "Meghan deserves an Oscar for that performance", the writer took a jibe at the former 'Suits' star, 39, by saying, "The following artist, nominated for Best Actress In A Leading Role, delivered her performance with complexity, nuance and depth. Let’s take a look at some of her best work now…”
With this, she dived into the details of the statements made by Meghan during the interview.
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She noted that one specific moment in the interview "showcased" Meghan's acting talents. "Were Meghan Markle to be nominated at this year’s Oscars [...] the Academy would have trouble choosing which clip best showcases her talent. But in the end, I think we’re all agreed, it would have to be the Little Mermaid scene," she wrote. Walden was referring to an anecdote where Meghan likened herself to Ariel from the 1989 Disney film during the interview, in the sense that she too lost her voice after falling in love with a prince.
The Duchess also added how the movie started playing when she was watching TV at the couple's former home in Nottingham Cottage. Meghan said, "Now who as an adult really watches The Little Mermaid? But it came on and I was like 'well, I'm just here all the time so I may as well watch this'."
Walden branded the comment the height of Meghan's "performance" in the two-hour interview. She continued to cite the Duchess: "But back to the award-winning scene. 'And I went: Oh my God? She [The Little Mermaid] falls in love with the prince and, because of that, she has to lose her voice.' Pause. Eye-misting. A small smile pushing through the pain. 'But by the end, she gets her voice back'."
The author continued: "Boom. Deafening applause. Standing ovation. The Oscar for Best Actress 2021 goes to… Meghan Markle".
Who is Celia Walden?
Walden is a journalist novelist and a critic born in Paris and raised in London. Her father is former Conservative MP George Walden. She initially wrote for Daily Mail before becoming the last editor of the now-defunct Daily Telegraph's diary section Spy.
She dated French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli in 2006, after interviewing him about cars for the Telegraph. She admitted to being a member of the extramarital hookup site Ashley Madison in 2015, although she claimed she signed up for article research. Walden started going out with Morgan in 2006, while he was still married to his first wife Marion Shalloe. They wed in 2010 around the time he was a judge on ITV's 'Britain's Got Talent,' in Swinbrook, Oxfordshire.
The scathing remarks against Meghan were made by her the same day that Morgan tweeted asking whether it was "too late for Oscar nominations", after having viewed the interview.
Morgan quits GMB
Following his shocking temper tantrum on the sets of 'Good Morning Britain' on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, when he reportedly walked off ‘Good Morning Britain’ as co-presenter Alex Beresford branded his behavior “diabolical” after comments he made as he discussed the Harry and Meghan interview, Morgan has quit the talk show, as confirmed by broadcaster ITV.
In a statement released today evening, ITV revealed, "Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain. ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add."
Piers Morgan just walked off the Good Morning Britain set (!!!) after co-presenter Alex Beresford defended Harry and Meghan and condemned Piers' treatment of them in yesterday's programming pic.twitter.com/mH75J8ND4O
— Chris Rickett (@chrisrickett) March 9, 2021
Morgan had been a steady and staunch critic of Meghan Markle all along, often facing criticism from Meghan's supporters all over the world. On Tuesday, things went particularly awry after Beresford strongly condemned Morgan, who refuted Meghan's claim of 'suicidal thoughts' on the Oprah interview. In fact, Morgan's comments even led to the network receiving over 41,000 complaints and also an investigation by Ofcom.