Rochelle Humes breaks down as she reveals she tried to 'scrub' her skin off after racist comments

Rochelle Humes
(Image credit: Getty Images for My Little Coco)

This Morning host Rochelle Humes has tearfully admitted that she would scrub her skin until it was red after being hit with racist comments.

The former The Saturdays singer is set to appear on Channel 4’s The Talk with her husband Marvin tonight, where they will discuss their experiences of growing up Black in the UK.

In a preview clip that she shared to her Instagram page, Rochelle admitted, “My legs were red, because I’d tried to scrub my skin off”.

Opening up about her fears for her and Marvin’s two daughters, seven-year-old Alaia-Mai and three-year-old Valentina.

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“I’m not upset for me, I’m just upset because I think, my little girl is the same age,” Rochelle went on. “I just don’t know how I would handle that”.

Opening up about racism and my challenges was overwhelming as it reminded me that we still live in a world where racism is normalised and accepted,’ she wrote alongside her video upload.

I don’t want my children growing up in a world where they think that their heritage and skin colour could be judged negatively.

‘That’s why I was so emotional, not for me, but for every child or person who has been made to feel like they were not enough because of their skin colour.

‘So I allowed myself to open up and be vulnerable about this topic publicly to help support others through shared experience and also educate people on the lasting impact racism and discrimination can have on people. 🖤.

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Explaining the candid Channel 4 series, the network said, “The Talk in the black community is to prepare children for the reality of living in a society where their skin colour marks them out for a lifetime of challenges white people may not understand.

“The first talk normally happens around age 4-7 and marks the day a child loses their innocence. Parents have to explain that, because of the colour of their skin, some people think they are less worthy of respect.

“Children are taught what to expect and how to react; advice based on experiences suffered by family, friends and neighbours”.

As well as Rochelle Humes, Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock is also expected to appear on the show.

The programme will air tonight at 10pm on Channel 4.

Aleesha Badkar
Lifestyle Writer

Aleesha Badkar is a lifestyle writer who specialises in health, beauty - and the royals. After completing her MA in Magazine Journalism at the City, the University of London in 2017, she interned at Women’s Health, Stylist, and Harper’s Bazaar, creating features and news pieces on health, beauty, and fitness, wellbeing, and food. She loves to practice what she preaches in her everyday life with copious amounts of herbal tea, Pilates, and hyaluronic acid.