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Coleen Nolan is facing a furious backlash following her comments about the ruling made against the Christian bakery in Belfast that refused a customer’s wish to make a cake in support of gay marriage.
The Loose Women host compared the request to showing support for Islamic militants Isis – a group who have been known to publicly execute gay people.
She said: "What if somebody walked in and said: ‘Right, I want a cake and I want the whole Islamic State on it – and how I support it, and how I support them killing our people.’ Because it is a business do they have to make it?"
Janet Street-Porter indicated on air that she agreed with Nolan’s comments.
Followers on Twitter, however, were not nearly so persuaded by her argument. Some of the show’s fans even called on ITV for her to be released from her role on the panel:
ITV has thus far declined to comment on Nolan's remarks.
The bakery, which delivers across the UK and Northern Ireland, had argued that the cake and its slogan "Support Gay Marriage" went against their "sincerely held" Christian beliefs.
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But giving her ruling at Belfast County Court, district judge Isobel Brownlie said: "The defendants have unlawfully discriminated against the plaintiff on grounds of sexual discrimination.
"This is direct discrimination for which there can be no justification."
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