Noel Edmonds has broken his silence over 'lobstergate', accusing controversial media personality Katie Hopkins of telling 'whopping pork pies' and branding her 'very, very naughty'.
The former Deal or No Deal presenter and his wife Liz hit the headlines after buying two live lobsters from the Farm Shop at the Swiss Chalet in Glen Helen and releasing them into Peel Harbour.
Following the controversy, the Isle of Man Farm Shop Company announced it was considering removing the live lobster tank from its Glen Helen store.
Mr Edmonds later shared footage of the release online, explaining that he and his wife had felt 'a little bit uncomfortable' seeing the lobsters in a tank.
The video prompted widespread debate on social media, with some questioning whether it was appropriate to release shellfish that had been kept in a controlled environment back into the sea.
Katie Hopkins also weighed in after her recent visit to the Isle of Man for a sold-out show at the Gaiety Theatre.
Responding in a video on Instagram, Mr Edmonds said: 'It's finally time to talk about lobsters and pork pies. There have been some very naughty, minxy people telling some really whopping pork pies about the saga of the lobster at the Isle of Man Farm Shop.'
He went on to praise the Isle of Man Farm Shop and encouraged people to visit.
'We were in there and Liz saw two lobsters in a tank, that's all there were,' he said.
'She said, "I feel sorry for them in the tank" and shop owner Matt said, "You are not the first person to say that actually."
'She said she would like to buy them and release them. Matt then offered us the lobsters as a gift, but we paid for them because we felt that was really important.
'He told us how to release them and take the little bands off the claws, and off we went. That is the absolute truth.
'At that point the lobsters were ours and it was our choice to return them to their natural environment as best we could. We had to do it in the harbour because we don't have a boat.
'There has been so much rubbish talked about this. Yes, I concede we probably only delayed the inevitable, but they may still be out there having a wonderful time.
'Katie Hopkins was very, very naughty. She distorted that whole story and then her followers piled in and it really was rather unpleasant.'
He then encouraged people to respond on her channel on the Vooz app.
In her own social media video, Ms Hopkins had said: 'If you really want to save the planet, go and pick up litter on the beaches at Douglas. Pick up litter in the hedgerows. You won't get any clicks. But you'll be doing a lot more for the environment.'
Matt Harrison, managing director of the Isle of Man Farm Shop Company, said he was still considering removing the lobster tank following customer feedback, despite believing the animals had been well cared for.