Coronation Street Star Tweets Apology Over Dogs’ Home Fire ‘Joke’

Coronation street star Jack Shepherd has apologised for an insensitive joke he tweeted following a fire at a dogs' home in Manchester which killed 60 dogs. The actor, who plays David Platt on the soap, posted the apology to his Twitter account on Friday evening, regretting the original offending tweet which he has since deleted:

I sincerely apologise for any offence I have caused. This was not intended to be a malicious tweet and I ... http://t.co/TKi2IL1s11 — Jack P Shepherd (@JackPShepherd88) September 12, 2014

  The post in full read: ‘I sincerely apologise for any offence I have caused. This was not intended to be a malicious tweet and I didn't consider the offence it would cause. At the time I didn't realise the scale of the tragedy but that doesn't excuse my behaviour. I now realise how insensitive I have been. I have made a donation to the MCR dogs home and I'm very sorry for my behaviour.’ Shepherd faced online backlash after posting an insensitive joke, which is believed to have read: "I have a million hot dog jokes". Speaking to Digital Spy, a Coronation Street spokeswoman said: "Jack quickly realised the insensitivity of his tweets and deleted them straight away. He apologises for any offence he has caused. "Jack's ill judged and insensitive tweets were clearly unacceptable and we will be talking to him about his conduct."