Kate Garraway defended Jonathan Ross during a Good Morning Britain panel discussion on Russell Brand and David Walliams.

Ross, who has worked with fellow comedians Brand and Walliams, said that he was “as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation”.

Ross spoke out after footage resurfaced of him joking about Walliams and 15-year-olds at the 2004 British Comedy Awards.

Walliams has been accused of sexual misconduct, including contacting girls as young as 15. He denies all allegations against him.

Meanwhile, Brand has been convicted of rape and sexual assault following a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court. He has been sentenced to 10-and-a-half years.

Discussing Ross’ statement on Good Morning Britain on Thursday, November 12, Garraway said that she believes the 65-year-old has been “rather brave” for speaking out.

“I can believe that he didn’t know what was going on,” she said, in reference to the 2007 Big Fat Quiz special which featured an uncomfortable moment between Brand, Noel Fielding and Lily Allen.

Ross said that Allen, who was 21 at the time, needed to be moved further away from Brand and Fielding, so that she “might go home with her dress still on”.

Garraway said: “That was the culture of the time, and has been till very, very recently. But that's not okay. No one's saying it's okay.”

However, panellist Ayesha Hazarika firmly disagreed with Garraway, stating that she thinks it’s “nonsense” that Ross was unaware of Brand and Walliams’ behaviour.

“He is part of a culture at that time, that lads' mags, sort of laddy banter,” she said, before going on to reference the Allen interaction.

Garraway went on to say: “The thing about Jonathan Ross that I was saying is that he has been very kind to me and a very good friend and I didn't know him at all during the period you're referring to.

“I think the reason it came out is that it was a joke that was written for him at an awards ceremony... He wanted to make the point that was written for him.”

Garraway’s comments led to some backlash online.

In his statement, released on Tuesday, 10 November, Ross also addressed the joke he made at the 2004 British Comedy Awards about Walliams and teenagers.

“I recognise how deeply shocking it is to revisit footage of a joke delivered by me at the Comedy Awards in 2004, in which I make light of the notion of Walliams going home with a 15-year-old.

“This joke was submitted to me by the Comedy Awards script writing team, and I believed that the punchline was a reference to the fact he had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect.

“It is also a tasteless joke that I would not dream of making today about anyone, but that is beside the point.

“Had I had any reason to suspect that it might be referring to actual events, I would not only have refused to use it, but I would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with him.

“I also like to think that I would have acted upon that knowledge.”