British grime star Stormzy has apologised for using homophobic language on social media, after the Pink News publication unearthed old tweets over a three-year period.

The posts, dating from 2011 to 2014 and which have now been deleted, included frequent uses of the word “faggot” and other terms offensive to the gay community.

The 24 year old MC said he used the language “when I was young and proudly ignorant”, and apologised for the offence he had caused, explaining that they were “attitudes I’ve left in the past”.

StormzyStormzy performing at TRNSMT festival in 2017

“I said some foul and offensive things whilst tweeting years ago at a time when I was young and proudly ignorant,” Stormzy’s statement on Wednesday (November 22nd), via a series of tweets, read.

The grime rapper has enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence since 2015 and the huge success of his freestyle ‘Shut Up’, and his 2017 has seen him bag a number one album for his debut LP proper, Gang Signs & Prayer, as well as a Mercury nomination and a GQ man of the year award.

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He went on to describe his: “very hurtful and discriminative views that I’ve unlearned as I’ve grown up and become a man… The comments I made were unacceptable and disgusting, full stop. Comments that I regret and to everyone I’ve offended, I am sorry, these are attitudes I’ve left in the past… I take responsibility for my mistakes and hope you can understand that my younger self doesn’t reflect who I am today.”

Stormzy’s apology comes a week after a similar embarrassment hit YouTube star Zoella, who had composed tweets some years back referring to “chavs” and “tramps”, and writing: “I find it funny when gay men spit… it’s like they’re trying to be a bit macho but never works.”

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