JAMES Cracknell was forced to defend a socially-distanced reunion with his elderly parents after a month of no contact.
The 47-year-old rower had previously shared his joy at seeing his mum and dad with a sweet snap that he has since deleted.
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In the photo, James and his dad are sitting away from one another in a garden, each grinning as they clutch onto a mug of tea.
He captioned the post at the time: “Been too long since I caught up with my folks, loved it.”
Just hours later, he took to social media again to defend himself from backlash after seemingly flouting government guidelines to see his parents.
The former Strictly star was accused of breaking lockdown rules, which state you mustn’t see anybody outside of your household unless delivering essential groceries to vulnerable people.
Hitting back, James, who split from his wife of 17 years last March, wrote: “I kept my distance at all times & was bringing them food round.”
He added: “Should I have posted the picture? Probably not. Having not seen them for nearly a month it was special to see them.
“My mum worked for the NHS her whole career so was ruthless about the distance we kept.”
Fans jumped to James’ defence, with one commenting: “When I drop my parents’ food round due to Dad shielding and they are in the garden, I too have a chat with them, they don’t see many folk at the moment.
“Your parents probably really enjoyed your company and it did you all the world of good.”
Another added: “Hope you enjoyed the family time James”.
A third wrote: “If you can spend time with your family at a safe distance then do it!!!”
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But others insisted that the star was in the wrong, with one arguing: “Still totally against the rules… Why do you think you can have different rules to everyone else? Where are we told we can go and visit and sit in each other’s gardens?”
Another snapped: “Government measures: Do not meet anybody outside of your own household including family and friends. What part isn’t clear?”
Coronavirus was officially deemed a global pandemic last month, and so far over 20,000 people in the UK have lost their lives to the disease.
The government introduced strict isolating and social-distancing measures last month as the country entered lockdown.
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