New Zealand TV presenter Paul Henry has been blasted for derogatory comments he made about Britain’s Got Talent star, Susan Boyle.

Henry was discussing the singer on New Zealand’s TVOne’s Breakfast, when he described Boyle as “retarded” and laughed when he read that she had been beaten by teachers and starved of oxygen at birth.

“If you look at her carefully, you can make it out,” he added.

His co-host Pippa Wetzell insisted: “That is not funny. That’s awful. She’s had such a tragic life, that woman.”

IHC (Intellectually Handicapped Children) New Zealand, have blasted Henry for his comments

However, the Sunday News reports that Henry described the charity’s campaign as “shameful” and added that he “didn’t regret anything I say”.

“I sometimes regret the lack of understanding or a sense of humour in others,” he continued. “Sometimes you’ll get crazy freaks who go on the internet and encourage people to be appalled. But where representatives of an organisation go out and do it, I think it is a very interesting situation.”

We know that many of you will be enraged by Paul’s comments and we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.