Apprentice star Bushra Shaikh slammed after admitting she WILL break the rules on Christmas
Apprentice star Bushra Shaikh says she will break rule of six to spend Christmas day with 15 loved ones because she ‘knows what’s best’ for her family
- Apprentice star Bushra Shaikh, 37, appeared on GMB alongside Jamie East, 46
- Discussed calls for UK to enter full tier 3 lockdown by the middle of December
- Bushra lives in London but is originally from Surrey, and says she will break rules
- Presenter Jamie, Birmingham, furiously ranted about Covid-19 rule breakers
Apprentice contestant Bushra Shaikh has been criticised after admitting that she’s planning on breaking government rules on Christmas Day.
The businesswoman, 37, lives in London, which is currently under tier 2 restrictions, but is originally from Surrey, which is split into tiers 1 and 2 and appeared on Good Morning Britain from a home in Dubai.
She appeared alongside TV presenter Jamie East, 46, from Birmingham, who furiously ranted about Covid-19 rule breakers, and psychologist Professor Susan Michie to discuss calls for Britain to enter the harshest lowdown restrictions by mid-December.
After insisting that she ‘knows best’ for her family, and could spend the day with 15 other people, Jamie slammed Bushra, ranting that nobody ‘knows better than a virus’, and urging the public not to give up eight months of pain ‘for a roast dinner’.
Apprentice contestant Bushra Shaikh (pictured) has been criticised after admitting on Good Morning Britain that she’s planning on breaking government rules on Christmas Day
Speaking of a recent poll which suggested 51 per cent of Britons would break the rule of six on Christmas Day, Bushra said: ‘I’m going to be considering breaking the rule of six. I’m saying what half the population is thinking.
‘This is a tough time, as far as I’m concerned. I know what is best for my family. I know how to apply the rules for my family.
‘You can’t treat this country like children, why does it have to be one rule fits everyone? It’s a special occasion, we need a bit of joy, it’s been a difficult year.’
Residents currently living in Tier 2 areas, the second-harshest lockdown level, are banned from mixing indoors and can only meet with people from different households or outisde their bubble outdoors in groups of six or less.
Meanwhile, those in Tier 3 cannot socialise indoors or outdoors with anyone from another household or outside their bubble.
Jamie was quick to hit back at Bushra, saying: ‘I can’t believe what I’m hearing, this “I know better than a virus”. You don’t know better than a virus.
‘I’m sorry for the last eight moths people have gone through such horrific pain, people have had their relatives buried by strangers and you want to give all that up for a roast dinner – get over yourself’.
Host Adil Ray then revealed that Bushra could have as many as 15 people spending the day with her, and quizzed her on whether she felt during the pandemic she should be putting others before herself.
‘I do agree,’ she replied, ‘We do need to put other people first, but we do have a responsibility to ourselves as well. People aren’t adhering to rules, they’re not washing their hands when they touch things.’
She appeared alongside TV presenter Jamie East, 46, (bottom left) from Birmingham, who furiously ranted about Covid-19 rule breakers, and psychologist Professor Susan Michie (bottom right) to discuss calls for Britain to enter the harshest lowdown restrictions by mid-December
Jamie was quick to hit back at Bushra, saying: ‘I can’t believe what I’m hearing, this “I know better than a virus”‘
She went on: ‘People are not following the rules correctly, I am speaking for the 51 per cent of the population who say they would break the rules.
‘We have mental health, it is going to be awful. We have to have a window which allows families to be together for a couple of hours for one day and take precautions, it’s simple.’
Viewers were quick to get in touch with their thoughts, with many praising Jamie for finally ‘saying something direct’ while several others felt the celebration is not ‘worth their families health’.
The business woman, pictured on The Apprentice in 2017 lives in London, which is currently under tier 2 restrictions, but is originally from Surrey, which is split into tiers 1 and 2
One said: ‘@Bushra1Shaikh is far from a spokesperson for half the UK. Don’t agree with breaking the rules. but I see families allowing one or two more to accommodate grandparents being alone etc for Xmas. But sorry, she wants 15 PEOPLE at hers. Talk about giving an inch and take a mile. #GMB’
‘Well said Jamie East, it’s about time someone said something direct’, another said.
A third agreed: ‘Christmas is not worth mine or my families health.’
Another commented: ‘Well @jamieeast just made complete sense and I couldn’t agree any more with what he said on @GMB. It may sound harsh, but it is just one day and after losing a lot myself I’m not willing to let one day potentially make all that for nothing!’
Speaking of a recent poll which suggested 51 per cent of Brits would break the rule of six on Christmas Day, Bushra said: ‘I’m going to be considering breaking the rule of six. It’s what half the population are thinking’
Susan, 65, who is a professor of health psychology University College London, told that people are more likely to break ‘inconsistent’ rules
Susan, 65, who is a professor of health psychology University College London, told that people are more likely to break ‘inconsistent’ rules, and that Brits should be given a ‘risk budget’, in which they assess the own risk to their own and other’s health.
‘When rules seem inconsistent they’re more likely to break them,’ she said. ‘People need something to look forward to, they’re looking forward to Christmas.
‘We need to get away from rules, we should shift to risk assessment and management where we give people the responsibility of a risk budget.
‘Knowing that the risky situation will be more people indoors rather than outdoors, singing, shouting, speaking loudly, we could take this whole period as a time to educate people about how to reduce transmission.’
