Olly Murs would have 'no problem' returning to call centre job
Olly Murs has said he would have “no problem” with returning to the jobs he had before he was a pop star if he had to.
The singer spoke out on This Morning when asked about Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak’s suggestion that people are having to “adapt” the jobs they do as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Asked what he could retrain to do, Murs said: “I have no idea to be honest. I can say I have no problem going back into doing jobs I’ve done before. I worked in a call centre, I did recruitment.”
He told hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford: “I just thought that guy was so wrong in what he said.
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We don't think @ollymurs quite expected this one from @EamonnHolmes... 😂
Stream #ThisMorning on the ITV Hub 👉https://t.co/Q7IV485mUn pic.twitter.com/4iwqichPVv— This Morning (@thismorning) October 9, 2020
“It just shows you what people think about the creative industry and especially, if that’s how he’s thinking, God knows who else is thinking that. He’s an idiot.
“And who knows what I’d be doing?
“This is what I do for a job, I love it so much. Everyone loves to be entertained and performed [to] and whilst I was doing all of the recruitment, this was the thing that I loved the most. I love singing and performing for people and I don’t want to give this up and go into any [other] job to be honest.”
The chancellor had said in an interview that people in “all walks of life” would have to adapt because of the impact of the pandemic.
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Liam Gallagher and Sue Perkins were among the figures in the arts world who criticised what they saw as Sunak’s suggestion that they retrain.
However, the politician later clarified his remarks, making it was clear he was not targeting the arts industry.
To people concerned by inaccurate reports that I told musicians to retrain... here’s the transcript. I did not say it and I do not think it.
Musicians don't need to retrain. When it's safe, venues need to reopen. That's why we've created a £1.57bn package to protect the arts. pic.twitter.com/6VhN8yYYUM— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 7, 2020
Sharing a transcript of the interview, he wrote on Twitter: “To people concerned by inaccurate reports that I told musicians to retrain... here’s the transcript.
“I did not say it and I do not think it.
“Musicians don't need to retrain.
“When it's safe, venues need to reopen. That's why we've created a £1.57bn package to protect the arts.”
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