From Rita Ora to Kim Kardashian: Seven celebrities criticised for breaking lockdown

Rita Ora is the latest celebrity to come under fire for breaking lockdown rules during the coronavirus pandemic.

The singer has been widely condemned for hosting a 30-person birthday dinner on Saturday (28 November), despite current regulations meaning that meeting people outside of your household indoors is not allowed.

However, Ora is not the only celebrity to famous face to have broken lockdown rules for birthdays and other group gatherings.

As Piers Morgan said of Ora’s party: “It really annoys me when these celebrities do that because what message does it send to all their millions of fans? It says, ‘I don’t believe this matters, nobody cares, I’ll do what I like.’”

Here are some of the biggest names to have been called out for breaking Covid-19 regulations during the pandemic.

Rita Ora

Cara and Poppy Delevingne and Towie’s Vas Morgan were pictured arriving at Ora’s private party in a restaurant in Notting Hill over the weekend, with police also being called to the event. Ora later apologised for attending the gathering, writing on Instagram that she was “embarrassed" and “deeply sorry” for breaking the rules.

Kim Kardashian

Never one to turn down the chance to party, Kardashian celebrated her 40th birthday by organising a luxury holiday with friends and family to a private island. Sharing a series of pictures to social media, Kardashian wrote that the group had headed on the trip to “pretend things were normal just for a brief moment in time”, but the comments were branded “tone deaf” and even sparked their own meme.

Jake Paul

In July, YouTube star Paul was widely criticised for throwing a party at his Calabasas mansion during the pandemic. Footage shared on social media showed large groups gathering together without masks or social distancing measures, with Calabasas’s mayor declaring that future events of this kind would be banned for violating health orders.

Dua Lipa

Lipa also faced backlash from fans for breaking social distancing rules in August after attending a large gathering for her 25th birthday. In pictures shared on social media, guests including Jaden Smith were seen partying inside and outside the house, with no mask wearing or social distancing in place. “You should use your platform for good and promote social distancing and wearing a mask,” one fan commented, adding: “This isn’t a good look bb.”

Josh Brolin

In April, Marvel star Brolin apologised to his fans after sharing a picture of himself and his wife Kathryn and kids visiting his dad James and stepmother Barbra Streisand in Malibu. Calling his own actions “irresponsible”, he wrote: “It’s hard to be honest sometimes and say, ‘Maybe I screwed up’… but the responses brought me back to my own truth and it’s humbling as hell, man.”

Laurence Fox

Earlier this week, actor Laurence Fox took to social media to boast about having a “large group” of friends over for lunch at his house. In response, Piers Morgan told the Lewis star to “shut up”, adding that his “ridiculous tweet” epitomised the “small minority” of people in the country who refused to adhere to rules and guidance surrounding the pandemic.

Kendall Jenner

Just days after Kardashian was criticised for gathering with family and friends during the pandemic, Kendall Jenner also came under fire for hosting a lavish event for her 25th birthday. Guests were told not to post on social media, but the rules didn’t extend to Jenner and her sister Kylie, who faced backlash after sharing multiple pictures from the event online.