Rita Ora’s apology slammed as ‘ridiculous and fake’ by furious fans after admitting fears for her NHS nurse mum in March
RITA Ora’s grovelling apology for breaking lockdown rules by partying with 30 pals for her birthday has been slammed as “ridiculous and fake” by her fans.
The Sun exclusively revealed Rita had offered to pay a £10k fine after throwing an “inexcusable” 30th birthday bash – but it hasn’t appeased her followers.
Taking to Twitter, one fumed: “Rita Ora, her pals and the restaurant in question all deserved to be raked over the coals for this party bulls**t. She factored in the £10k fine whilst planning then made up a fake excuse – disgusting. How can opening up a closed restaurant illegally be ‘spur of the moment’?”
Another said: “@RitaOra Yet another rich person knowingly breaks the rules us paupers have to abide by and thinks that a fake apology will be enough. If you’re really sorry, retrain as a nurse and give something back. (We all know you won’t)”
A third raged: “Rita Ora saying she’ll pay a fine is ridiculous. The audacity. £10K to her is probably like £1 to normal people. This is the difference between the wealthy who think the rules don’t apply and everyone else. It stinks!”
Rita Ora saying she’ll pay a fine is ridiculous. The audacity. £10K to her is probably like £1 to normal people. This is the difference between the wealthy who think the rules don’t apply and everyone else. It stinks!
— Erin Louise Hunt(@erinlouisehunt) November 30, 2020
The pop star told The Sun she was “deeply sorry for breaking the rules” as she apologised for throwing the lavish bash on Saturday night.
It came just months after Rita admitted she was worried about her “heroic” psychiatrist mum Vera Sahatçiu going back to hospitals to help patients battling coronavirus.
In a statement shared on Instagram today, Rita said: “Hello all, I attended a small gathering with some friends to celebrate my 30th birthday. It was a spur of the moment decision made with the misguided view that we were coming out of lockdown and this would be OK… I’m deeply sorry for breaking the rules and in turn understand that this puts people at risk.
“This was a serious and inexcusable error of judgement. Given the restrictions, I realise how irresponsible these actions were and I take full responsibility .
“I feel particularly embarrassed knowing first-hand how hard people have worked to combat this terrible illness and being fully aware of the sacrifices that people and businesses have made to help keep us all safe .Even though this won’t make it right, I want to sincerely apologise.”
Thirty people attended the secret bash at a restaurant in West London on Saturday.
A hospital worker said: “Do they think the rules don’t apply to them as they’re rich or famous?”
Brits forced to scrap social events due to lockdown rules have blasted Rita as a selfish Covid cheat.
Last night, No10 again stressed people should not break the rules, so we can beat the virus.
But more than 30 people were believed to have attended Rita’s lavish party on Saturday night.
Showbiz pals were among those gathered at posh Casa Cruz restaurant in Notting Hill, West London.
Rita boozed with guests including models Cara and Poppy Delevingne.
Her sister Elena, 32, Towie pal Vas Morgan, 31, and others were seen sneaking through the back exit clutching bottles of alcohol including Rita’s own-brand tequila.
At one stage, police visited the restaurant. Officers were seen peering through the windows and trying to open a heavy-duty security door.
A source said: “Rita and her sister came to the restaurant first, all dolled up and clearly looking forward to a good night.
“There were a number of guests, all dressed up very glamorously, and everyone entered the building through the back, with security watching the front to make sure no one else went in. It went on until the early hours.”
Rita was seen in high heels, a white satin dress and a coat as she was escorted by security out of the venue.
She wore a mask and clutched black shopping bags as she got into a silver Land Rover.
Last night, Nicholas Fallows, who is listed as the sole director of Casa Cruz London Ltd, insisted it was the first he’d heard about it. He said the restaurant was “owned by shareholders”.
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The Government imposed a national lockdown from November 5 until December 2 in a bid to prevent social gatherings and mixing of households.
Rules state people must stay at home and avoid meeting others they do not live with.
Restaurants should remain closed except for takeaway meals. Breaches can result in hefty fines.