'Literally just me and my parents': Rita Ora's birthday plans before lockdown bash was rumbled
Rita Ora claimed she was spending her 30th birthday “literally just me and my parents” in an interview done before her lockdown-breaking party was discovered.
Last weekend, singer Ora broke England’s COVID lockdown rules to celebrate her birthday at a West London restaurant with celebrity pals including Cara and Poppy Delevingne and Vas Morgan, leading to a hefty fine and a public apology.
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But in an interview with The Sunday Times Magazine in early November which was published yesterday, Ora made her plans sound very different.
The How To Be Lonely singer said of how she was going to celebrate her 30th: "It's going to literally be just my parents and me.
"I'm actually looking forward to it. To just hanging out with my parents. Is that weird?"
Watch: Rita Ora is sorry for breaking lockdown rules
She added: "My reputation's going to go down the drain but they’re my favourite people to hang out with."
However, Ora’s parents - including her NHS-worker mum - were not at the party which was broken up by police, although her sister Elena was.
Asked by the magazine how she was dealing with COVID restrictions, she said: "I'm being patient - getting through it like everyone."
Ora found herself having to issue a further apology over the weekend as it emerged that she had been performing at a private concert in Cairo on November 21 - meaning that she should have been in a 14-day isolation period after her return from Egypt on the day she threw her controversial party.
I suggest @RitaOra stops banging on about her support for the NHS, for whom her own mother works, and also stops doing things that make the lives of health workers more difficult. https://t.co/UVlaH19o9d
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 6, 2020
In a statement, she said: “I recently flew to Egypt to perform at a corporate event for a private company, where my travel party followed protocol and presented negative Covid tests upon entry, as required by Egyptian authorities.
“Upon my return to Britain, I should have followed Government advice and isolated myself for the required period. As you know, I didn’t follow Government advice and I apologise again, unreservedly.
“While I realise the apologetic words of a pop star might not carry much weight, especially one who has broken the rules like I have, I do realise some might seek to follow my example.
“My message to them is simple: please don’t. The guilt and shame I’ve carried this week for my mistake aren’t worth it.
“Instead, continue to listen to the Government advice and the voices of the heroes of the NHS and take the required precautions.
“I hope to one day make it up to the public who have given me so much support over the years and, in particular, make it up to the heroes of the NHS.
“In the meantime, I will be donating my fee from Egypt to charity. Be better than I have been and learn from my mistakes so you don’t have to learn the hard way yourselves.”
Last week, Ora had apologised publicly for her party, calling it “a serious and inexcusable error of judgment”.
Watch: Piers Morgan slams Rita Ora for breaking lockdown rules
