The former star of British reality television series, "The Only Way is Essex" (TOWIE), Dan Osborne, was cut from the Celebrity Dad of the Year competition organized by Ice Lolly in the United Kingdom. His nomination reportedly received a lot of backlash from the public following a scandal he was involved in early this year.
Back in March, the father-of-two was the central figure in an audio clip that went viral, showcasing Osborne's violent rage against his ex, Megan Tomlin, who happens to be the mother of his 2-year-old son Teddy. He was heard telling Tomlin he would stab her if he learns she slept with another man. After the audio clip leaked, Osborne was dropped from his series, as many women groups condemned the incident, according to a report from Daily Record.
With the violent outburst still fresh in the public's memory, news of Osborne's inclusion in the celebrity site's Father of the Year nomination was met with protests. "We question the responsibility of nominating anyone for this award who may have been involved in a domestic abuse incident. Being abusive towards women - be that physically, emotionally, or verbally - are not qualities that make a good father, " said Hilary Fisher, the director of Women's Aid, in the Daily Record story.
The group also said that Osborne's inclusion in the list, among other celebrity dads like David Beckham, Simon Cowell and Prince William, is going to send out a "deeply irresponsible message" among young people who may look up to celebrities as role models. "Domestic violence in any form has profound and long-lasting effects on children. In one year, 750,000 children witness domestic violence. It is an extremely serious issue," Fisher added.
Defending himself from the incident, Osborne, who is now in a relationship with Jacqueline Jossa, with whom he has another child, has expressed his regrets over what happened with him and Tomlin. "I'm disgusted with myself. I'm so embarrassed to even be sat here explaining why I said those terrible things. It was in the heat of the moment during an argument and I didn't mean any of it. I'd never hurt anyone and I've never hit a woman," Osborne said in a report published by OK Magazine UK.
Representatives from Osborne's camp have yet to comment about his status being dropped from the Ice Lolly contest. The Celebrity Dad of the Year is released annually by the site and had previous winners like Tom Fletcher, actor and singer Marvin Humes and TV personality Peter Andre.
