George Michael has angrily blasted critics of his performance at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics on Sunday night (12Aug12), after he was accused of using the event as a platform for self-promotion.
The Faith hitmaker was one of the superstar performers who helped to bring the 2012 Games to a close, but came under fire after choosing to sing his new track White Light instead of his more popular hits.
Some critics blasted him for promoting the release of the song in front of an international audience, but Michael, who also performed his classic hit Freedom, has refuted the claims on Twitter.com.
He writes, "Had a Great time at the closing! I hope you are not bothered by the press reports of my scandalous 'promotion'.
"Please join me in telling them to f**k off! It was my one chance on TV to thank you all for your loyalty and prayers, and I took it. And I don't regret it."
The star's representative has already insisted he chose White Light as it is "a celebration of being alive" following Michael's brush with death last year (11) after contracting pneumonia.