McCain Oven Chips has removed a gay couple from a TV ad following homophobic attacks.
Two gay dads have faced a torrent of online abuse after they appeared on an advert with their baby.
Lee and Mat Samuels-Camozzi were subject to a number of horrific slurs on social media after appearing in the McCain chips advert with their young son Carter.
People compared the two to paedophiles, labelled them as sick and accused them of neglecting their 19-month-old son Carter for not having a mother present in his life.
Now the couple have been edited out of a new version of the advert.
Last week the couple said they had received dozens of abusive comments on social media, including one person who called them “sick”.
A spokesman for McCain’s confirmed the pair would no longer feature in the campaign after the 60-second advert’s run has come to an end.
The upcoming 30-second version of the advert, which replaces the longer version, will not feature the couple.
However the chips giant denied it was related to the online abuse.
A McCain’s spokesperson said: “Our campaign is all about celebrating the diversity of family life and not everybody’s a normal family.
“There’s only so much you can say in 30 seconds. We’re still promoting them, they’re in the posters and we’ve got them on social media.”
The couple from Cheshire told the Daily Record that they were horrified and saddened by the vicious attacks directed at them online.
Lee, 35 and a customer relations manager, said that they had received dozens of hateful comments.
“One of the most hurtful compared us to perverts, saying ‘Whatever next, society accepting paedophiles?’ We are shocked this kind of attitude exists in the 21st century. We’re proud of our little family and we have nothing to be ashamed of.”
In the advert the voiceover goes: “When it comes to family, what’s normal? Normal isn’t normal.”
It continues: “Grans who put you to bed and tell you not to believe in ghosts. Or maybe it’s dad who tucks you up. Dad. Daddy. Two daddies. Long-distance daddies.”
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The chips brand previously hit back at the homophobic haters.
McCain marketing director Mark Hodge told the BBC: “We have received overwhelming support for the campaign, but we are disappointed that there’s a minority of individuals who have been verbally abusive to the real families that feature in our advertising.”
It added that the ad campaign was intended”to shine a light on and celebrate families of all shapes and sizes… and celebrate the diversity of UK families”.
