SORRY: Rove comedian Peter Helliar has apologised to hepatitis sufferers for making light of the disease during a joke about Pamela Anderson. Subscribe to Archivestuff Have your say Rove comedian Peter Helliar has apologised to hepatitis sufferers for making light of the disease with a joke branded "cheap and cruel". Hepatitis Australia said it was offended by an on-air witticism in which Helliar joked about giving hepatitis C to Pamela Anderson for her 40th birthday.
In a segment of the comedy show Rove, the comedian asked what would be the best present for the former Baywatch star, who has everything. "Hepatitis, oh wait, she already got that last year," Helliar said on the program. Hepatitis Australia chief executive Helen Tyrrell said the "irresponsible" comment was a cruel and discriminatory attempt at humour.
"Many of the 260,000 Australians affected by hepatitis C already experience stigma and discrimination on a regular basis, and ignorant 'comedy' like this only adds to the pain," Ms Tyrrell said. But Helliar today said he did not mean to cause offence. "I realise hepatitis is a disease affecting many Australians," he said.
was not intended to offend those living with hepatitis and if any offence was caused, I sincerely apologise." Hepatitis C is a blood-blood virus which newly infects about 10,000 Australians each year, causing liver failure and liver cancer in a small but significant number. Ms Tyrrell said she did not understand why the illness was the target of jokes.
"We sincerely doubt Rove would have featured a similar joke about giving a celebrity a gift of HIV/AIDS," she said. "But for some reason they think its acceptable to seek cheap laughs at the expense of people living with hepatitis C. The fact is it's not acceptable.
" SORRY: Rove comedian Peter Helliar has apologised to hepatitis sufferers for making light of the disease during a joke about Pamela Anderson.
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