TV host Judy Finnigan has apologised after she remarked on a TV show that a rape victim did not receive any "bodily harm".
The presenter made the comments yesterday on ITV's Loose Women show, about whether convicted rapist and former Sheffield United footballer Ched Evans should return to his club.
Evans has served half of a five-year sentence for raping a woman in a hotel room.
But Finnigan's comments aroused anger among some viewers.
The presenters were discussing Evans's case following reports he may return to Sheffield United following his release.
Finnigan said: "If he does go back, he will have to brave an awful lot of comments obviously from the fans who are there.
"But, having said that, he has served his time, he's served two years. The rape -and I am not, please, by any means minimising any kind of rape - but the rape was not violent, he didn't cause any bodily harm to the person. It was unpleasant, in a hotel room I believe, and she had far too much to drink."
Social media users took to Twitter to criticise her comments, with one describing them as "sick." The user added: "It's always wrong no matter what the circumstances are."
Last night Finnigan said in a statement: she said: "I absolutely wasn't suggesting that rape was anything other than an horrendous crime and, as I said on the programme, I was in no way attempting to minimise the terrible ordeal that any woman suffers as a result."
She added: "I apologise unreservedly for any offence that I may have caused as a result of the wording I used."
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