Ant and Dec at the Britain's Got Talent launch in 2016

Ant and Dec have issued a public apology after facing backlash over a social media post that some critics described as inadvertently “triggering”.

Last week, the Britain’s Got Talent and I’m A Celebrity hosts announced they were launching a new media platform Belta Box, which would include their new podcast Hanging Out with Ant and Dec.

To promote the new venture, the pair appeared in a promotional clip which showed their feet dangling in air, before the camera panned up to reveal them hanging on a washing line, in a nod to the title of their podcast.

However, shortly after the ad – which has now been pulled – went live, some took issue with the imagery, which was

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