Estelle Defends Dizzee Rascal Over Jeremy Paxman Interview

Estelle has hit out at BBC presenter Jeremy Paxman, saying he was "disrespectful" to UK rapper Dizzee Rascal during a recent TV show.

The 'Dance Wiv Me' star appeared on BBC Newsnight on November 5, where Rascal famously joked he would run for prime minister (watch the video here).

During the interview, Paxman asked Dizzee if he "felt British", to which the London-born MC replied: "Of course I'm British... it don't matter what colour you are."

Now Estelle has jumped to Rascal's defence, telling the New Statesman: "Paxman's not going to get away with asking me do I think I'm British. That's disrespectful - you know, what do you think I am?"

"I'd want to question him - and make him feel like an idiot."

Although Estelle thinks Jeremy was out of order, she also thinks that Dizzee didn't help himself by taking the show as a joke.

"I don't ever want to diss another artist that I know is in the same struggle and grind as me, but it was the look on Jeremy Paxman's face," the 'American Boy' singer added.

"I felt so disappointed because Dizzee has come so far as an artist and a businessman that to go on there and represent us, represent all the musicians in the UK, it was like Oh. My. God."

The BBC have now responded, saying in a statement: "Jeremy Paxman's question to Dizzee Rascal about whether he felt himself to be British was a direct response to the preceding comments from Baroness Amos who was saying that in the UK, as opposed to the US, we don't talk about the nature of Britishness and what it means to be British.

"The topics being discussed were race, nationality and identity and this question was a natural part of that discussion."