Antony Cotton: 'Dannii was being pro-gay'

Coronation Street star Antony Cotton has claimed that Dannii Minogue's controversial X Factor remark deserves praise rather than condemnation.

Minogue was slammed at the weekend for commenting on contestant Danyl Johnson's bisexuality live on air. She spoke out on Saturday night's show after the schoolteacher changed the lyrics to 'And I Am Telling You' to refer to "the best woman I'll ever know" instead of "the best man".

She told Johnson: "If we're to believe everything we read in the papers, there was no need to change the gender references."

Gay actor Cotton, who plays Weatherfield's camp factory worker Sean Tully, has now suggested that fans' debates should focus on why the lyrics were altered.

Writing on Twitter, he commented: "Dannii Minogue is the least homophobic woman in the world. And personally, I think she made a very pro-gay comment."

Cotton continued: "Just watched again. Cheryl [Cole] began the slot by saying, 'He's singing a woman's song - it's ridiculous'. So the lyrics must have been changed because it must be a problem for a man to sing a song about another man.

"That is not Danyl's fault and it certainly isn't Dannii's fault for flagging it up."

A recent survey found that 83% of viewers want Minogue to be sacked for her remark. However, X Factor producers have vowed to stand by her following her recent on-air apology.