Jan Moir writes new Gately article

Jan Moir has expressed "regret" for the offence caused by her recent article on the death of Stephen Gately, but has branded the backlash a "hysterical overreaction".

The Daily Mail columnist sparked accusations of homophobia last week by suggesting that Gately's passing "strikes another blow to the happy-ever-after myth of civil partnerships". She also insisted that his death was "not, by any yardstick, a natural one".

In a new piece published in the newspaper today, Moir announced: "Obviously, a great deal of offence has been taken and I regret any affront caused. This was never my intention.

"To be the focus of such depth of feeling has been an interesting experience, but I do not complain. After all, I am not - unlike those close to Stephen Gately - mourning for the loss of a much-loved partner, son, family member and close friend. To them, I would like to say sorry if I have caused distress by the insensitive timing of the column, published so close to the funeral."

The journalist claimed that she would have written "exactly the same article" about a heterosexual singer and complained that many of her remarks were misinterpreted last week.

She added: "This brings me back to the bile, the fury, the inflammatory hate mail and the repeated posting of my home address on the internet. To say it was a hysterical overreaction would be putting it mildly, though clearly much of it was an orchestrated campaign by pressure groups and those with agendas of their own.

"However, I accept that many people - on Twitter and elsewhere - were merely expressing their own personal and heartfelt opinions or grievances. This said, I can't help wondering - is there a compulsion today to see bigotry and social intolerance where none exists by people who are determined to be outraged? Or was it a failure of communication on my part?"

Moir's original article led to a record number of complaints to the Press Complaints Commission.