Ant Middleton has come under fire for telling people to “carry on as normal” and not “be a sheep” amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Prime Minister has urged the public to socially distance themselves in a bid to “turn the tide” against the spread of the disease.

However, the SAS: Who Dares Wins presenter, who was in the British Special Forces, told fans on Instagram that he does not think the advice applies to him because he is “strong and able”.

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Covid-19 doesn’t bother me. Why?!? Because I’m strong and able like the majority of us and it has no benefit or positive impact on my life. If you are vunerable to covid-19 then the ‘expert advice’ is yours to take onboard, listen to it! Because it doesn’t effect me, it is merely ‘advice’! That however doesn’t mean I am not sensitive towards the situation and towards others but I’m treating this situation like I would ANY given situation, with ‘COMMON SENSE’. Does covid-19 effect me?.. ‘NO’! Should my life change?…‘NO’! Should I be sensitive towards others and the situation (like I always am)?.. ‘YES’! Am I going to do my best to protect and provide for my family first?.. ‘YES ALWAYS’ and in order to do that we must all stay calm and take on advice that’s relevant to our personal situation, and for the majority of us there is no threat. Even if you do contract the virus, some of you won’t even know about it or some of you will have a s**t couple of days at work wondering if you have it or not! What about the vunerable I hear you say…’Self isolate’ like the experts tell you, protect yourselves, let the strong and able (like the majority of us) look after you, let us do our bit for the community and the economy whilst trying to prevent our own personal lives and families from stooping into unnecessary depression and finiacial difficultly, let us re-establish a bit of normality and contain this fear. If the media went into self isolation for a month I guarantee that normality would resume. Please just go about your lives being humane, sensible and continuing to challenge any difficult situation that presents itself head on, like we always have! Stay calm, stay positive, and use common sense. If there’s ever a time to step up and show up… It’s now! #fuckcovid19 #calmdown #resumenormality #nochangenochange

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The comments were criticised by a number of social media users.

Middleton said: “If you are fit and healthy don’t be a sheep and lock yourself away.”

He said that he is not affected by coronavirus “so the experts, thank you for your advice, but it is not needed for me”.

Middleton added that he is an “expert” in “living life”.

He added: “So if Covid-19 doesn’t effect you then carry on as normal, stop panicking, stop worrying, keep the economy going, protect the vulnerable, stay positive, be happy.”

One woman, who claimed to be a doctor, labelled Middleton’s comments as “completely irresponsible advice”.

She wrote on Instagram: “The healthcare system is preparing for the most challenging times many have ever seen and the plethora of ‘advice’ coming from influencers and celebrities is making life so much more difficult for those of us on the front line.

“Carrying on as normal is not an option, we need to adapt, be informed and be alert.”

Ant Middleton
Ant Middleton’s comments have been criticised (Isabel Infantes/PA)

Another user wrote that “all our lives must change to beat this”, adding: “You can protect the vulnerable by not catching this virus, therefore not passing it on.

“So saying carry on as normal because you are strong and able is not protecting the vulnerable.

“If the media stopped reporting, yes people would go on as normal, but ignorance is not safety.”

Another Instagram user said: “Stop taking advice from celebrities people, listen to the experts.”