Caprice slams ‘unprofessional’ Peter Andre who criticised her for Vine debate

Caprice has branded Peter Andre ‘unprofessional’ for calling her ‘foolish’ for ‘undermining a doctor’ on Jeremy Vine during a recent coronavirus debate.

Pete, 47, had said in his OK! column: ‘I didn’t see Caprice Bourret’s appearance on Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine programme last week, but I heard that she was slammed by viewers for arguing with a qualified doctor about how to contain the coronavirus.

‘She apparently claimed that she knew just as much as the health experts because she’d read reports online.

‘If Caprice was intentionally trying to undermine the doctor, then she’s absolutely foolish, because it’s the medical professionals who are being told first hand what is going on. I know who I’d listen to!’

But a source close to the model told MailOnline: ”Caprice feels it was unprofessional for Pete to call someone out when he didn’t have his facts right. 

‘Caprice would never undermine a doctor or a specialist in their field. She was simply questioning the doctor as the World Health Organisation had contradictory information.

‘It was a debate show and Caprice was directly referencing the World Health Organisation who is the authority in this space. A lot of these key facts are referenced in the media.’

The source continued ‘Caprice referenced the WHO guidelines and that we should learn from other territories that successfully contained the virus such as Taiwan and Singapore who wore masks and closed all schools early and then went into lockdown in order to prevent the spread and assist healthcare with the overload.

‘It is a bit ironic that we are actually following those same steps now which is what Caprice was referencing two weeks ago.

‘Someone in Pete’s position who writes a column that hundreds of thousands of people read has a responsibility to be objective and have the decency to watch the clip and get the facts correct. 

‘It seems really unfair of him to comment on something that he hasn’t even seen’. 

MailOnline has contacted Caprice’s representative for comment.

Moreover, Caprice, 48, also took to the comments section on one of Pete’s recent unrelated Instagram posts to say exactly what she felt. 

She penned: ‘I hope you and your family are staying healthy and well. I’m writing in reference to what you wrote about me in Ok magazine. The information is incorrect and I’d like to rectify. 

‘I challenged the doctor, not because I thought I knew better but because WHO (world health organisation) said things that contradicted what the doctor was saying. 

‘I had read the statements from WHO in a newspaper. My information was not taken from a random person that worked at the paper. It would have been nice if you were a bit more objective and watched the entire conversation between myself and the doctor on the Jeremy vine show instead of accessing your sources from a third party. 

‘I’m just seeking answers to better protect my family and community against this very scary virus. Anyways, more importantly, I hope that you and your beautiful family stay safe and well xx.’  

Just a fortnight ago, Caprice had found herself at loggerheads with a medical expert during an appearance on the Jeremy Vine Show, as they discussed coronavirus.

The erstwhile Dancing On Ice contestant was seen debating with Dr. Sarah Jarvis on how best to curtail the pandemic’s growth when she insisted the UK should be following Taiwan and Singapore’s model with a two-week shutdown.

As she shared her view, Caprice was told by Dr. Jarvis: ‘No disrespect, but unless you have read every scientific paper and statistical modelling paper that’s come out you cannot argue with me on that. You can have an opinion but it’s not a fact.’

Showing no signs of relenting, the star stood firm as she shot back: ‘But I can, I have an opinion. Let me read you the facts: In Taiwan and Singapore early on everyone was wearing surgical masks…’

‘Which make no difference at all,’ Dr. Jarvis boomed back at Caprice, who refused to back down as she said: ‘Sorry, I let you so let me finish…’

Host Jeremy then interjected as he explained to Caprice: ‘Alright, but Sarah is the expert, but go on.’

‘This is from a newspaper! This is from somebody from WHO!’ Caprice said, before the discussion was eventually brought back to Dr. Jarvis.

Caprice drew the ire of Dr. Jarvis when she suggested that the UK goes into a total shutdown for two weeks – a model which she insisted had worked in Asia. This was before the UK did in fact go into lockdown.

The Channel 5 show was filmed without a live studio audience for the first time in its history, amid attempts to curb the spread of the deadly virus.

However, a large number of viewers were aghast at what they saw, taking to Twitter in droves to ask why Caprice was even invited to debate such a topic on the show.

Wrote one viewer: ‘No disrespect to Caprice. She has to earn a living and everything but seriously broadcasters stop putting ill informed people up against experts. This is life and death stuff and TV has a duty to inform.’

‘At a time of national crisis why the hell @theJeremyVine would you have #Caprice on there giving out information from a newspaper,’ queried another. ‘Come on…we deserve better than this!!! For bl**dy shame on you! Give the airways over to professional people who can give the RIGHT information.’

Stated a third: ‘Caprice “debating” a qualified doctor about the coronavirus, is a crystallised version of everything wrong with our culture and general discourse.’

Dom Joly also chimed in on the episode as he tweeted: ‘This is just embarrassing – stick to experts – shouldn’t even be having this kind of debate using people who’ve “read stuff in papers”.’ 

Dr. Jarvis herself retweeted Dr. Zoe Williams, who stated: ‘Just a reminder that @DrSarahJarvis is a doctor and a media medic. Caprice is a celebrity! Be careful who you listen to out there. Sense would say that the Dr is more likely to be correct!’

However, Caprice also had a number of supporters on the micro-blogging site, with one stating: TBF on Caprice, she started the debate wrongly. The article she is referring to is from a top medical spokesperson in China.. And that approach works.

‘Dr Sarah Jarvis for the sake of her medical career has to obide by Gov guidelines.. Which we are now understanding is wrong!’ [sic]

The viewer continued of Dr. Jarvis: She would be risking her professional reputation by going against them [government guidelines].

‘However the WHO are correct and our Gov should hopefully see that and change tac when they realise they’ve screwed up.. However it might be too late.’ [sic]

Another said: ‘Caprice is right tho? Not on 2 weeks being sufficient but her broader point about lockdown being the proven method of limiting virus stands I think.’ [sic]

After Caprice exited the studio, a source close to the star told MailOnline slammed ‘so-called experts’ for encouraging anything other than closing things down to halt the spread of coronavirus. 

‘Caprice believes we should follow Taiwan and Singapore’s lead in how they have tackled the coronavirus early on and ultimately have controlled and contained the spread of the virus,’ said the source.

‘She is concerned like many others over the lack of clarity from so called experts and believes the UK should have followed Taiwan and Singapore in shutting all UK schools early on!’ 

Caprice’s fiery debate comes days after she was seen stepping out wearing a mask covering her nose and mouth, after narrowly avoiding catching coronavirus. 

The model wore the protective item as she headed out in London on Friday to record for a podcast, with sources exclusively telling MailOnline that Caprice was ‘left shaken’ over the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A source revealed that Caprice had a near-miss with the virus, after a friend of hers caught it, and she is now ‘following every precaution necessary’ to avoid falling ill. 

Her appearance comes after sources say the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak is starting to hit home for Caprice. 

‘It’s starting to hit close to home and [Caprice] was rationed to one toilet roll and one kitchen roll per person at Costco,’ the inside told MailOnline. 

‘Her covershoot with Global Woman Magazine has also been cancelled and rescheduled at the last minute because one of the crew tested positive with coronavirus.’

They added: ‘She told the pal that it is quite scary and if the photoshoot was only one day before, she could have been infected. 

‘It has shaken her up and she is quite concerned. She is now being very careful and following every precaution necessary to avoid contracting the virus.’ 

Caprice has been keeping a low-profile over the last few months, after bowing out of this year’s series of Dancing On Ice following a ‘tough few months’. 

She had started on the series with professional skating partner Hamish Gaman, but was later forced to pull out of the show after the pair became embroiled in a bullying row. 

The star was reportedly left too scared to speak during Dancing On Ice training after Hamish enforced a ‘three strikes and you’re out rule’ if she didn’t do exactly what he said – making her feel like mistakes were not allowed. 

Caprice was put into an alternative pairing with Oscar Peter but subsequently decided to quit the ITV series altogether to ‘recover and look after herself and her family’. 

Hamish later told Hello! magazine that he was moving on from the drama after deciding to propose to fiancée Amelia, who he met on Tinder four years ago.

He said: ‘I’ve known for a long time that I want to spend the rest of my life with Amelia but what I’ve been through made me keen to make that commitment to her sooner than we’d anticipated.

‘For the past few months I’ve been in a dark place which I couldn’t have got through without her. Recent events have made me realise just how much I love her. Planning our wedding together has brought light to the darkness.

Hamish continued: ‘Without Amelia I don’t know what I would have done. When you’re in the public eye, you expect to read and hear gossip about yourself, but I never thought it would affect my mental health as much as it did.

‘I found it hard to sleep and eat, and would wake up with anxiety. Amelia has been my absolute rock.’