CBeebies presenter Ben Cajee has been praised for a discussion on his mixed-race heritage on air.
Cajee, who was worked on CBeebies since 2015, told his young audience it is “really important to be kind” as he opened up on his background.
He said his mother, Fiona, is white, and his father, Yacob, is black.
I don’t really have the words for this one – so I’m just going to leave it here. With love, always. @CBeebiesHQ pic.twitter.com/fp0YP7rwqR
— Ben Cajee (@ben_cajee) October 19, 2020
The Ipswich-born star said he is “really, really proud” to be mixed race and discussed what he inherited from both parents, including supporting West Ham United from his father and his smile from his mother.
“Sometimes people have been unkind about what I look like and the colour of my skin,” Cajee said.
“But I try and forget about those people and instead focus on the people who were there for me and who supported me.
“They just like me for being me and they were my friends. And I think at the moment it’s really important to be kind because you never know, you might just make someone’s day.”
Cajee, who has also worked on Match Of The Day Kickabout, was praised for the segment on social media after the clip was widely shared as part of CBeebies Black History Month programming.
A Twitter user said: “Thank you so much Ben. I am going to share this with my mixed heritage daughter when she comes home from school. She is deeply proud of being half South Asian and half white. It’s important children see the differences & celebrate that not hide away from it. It’s part of them.”
And another wrote: “Such a beautiful message from such a beautiful soul. Well said Ben, you’re parents did an ace job bringing you up. Always be proud of who you are, we are all in this life together so let’s celebrate that rather than be against each other.”
Former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! star Roman Kemp was also a fan, tweeting: “Great work xx.”