Giovanna Fletcher and her husband Tom have admitted to a "huge error in judgement" following their decision to use the government’s furlough scheme.
The celebrity couple issued a joint statement on Tuesday which they shared on their Instagram accounts. It read: "Hi everyone, we have always had a very honest and open relationship with you all on here so we thought it was important to address questions that some of you have rightly asked us in the last 24 hours.
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"This weekend there was an article in one of the Sunday papers about us using the government furlough scheme. While parts of the article were inaccurate (including all of the figures mentioned), it is true that we did follow financial advice to furlough someone we employ."
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The couple continued: "This was for a member of our team who couldn't carry out their role due to the pandemic, and the scheme was suggested to us as the most effective way to give them job stability and security.
Tom and Giovanna have been married since May 2012
"Although it was a time of great uncertainty, we clearly should have thought more about the situation and funded it ourselves. It was a huge error of judgement and a mistake we wholeheartedly take responsibility for and we have paid the full amount back. Gi and Tom x."
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The comments on both posts have been disabled but they have racked up thousands of likes.
The couple are proud parents to three boys
Childhood sweethearts Giovanna, 36, and Tom, 35, have been married since May 2012 and together share three children, sons Buzz, seven, Buddy, five, and two-year-old Max.
Tom has found great success in his music career with McFly and is an accomplished children's author. Giovanna is also a hugely successful writer and hosts the popular Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast. She can also be seen fronting The Baby Club on CBeebies.
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