More than 57,000 people – including Meghan Markle herself – took the time to lodge official complaints with Ofcom over Piers Morgan’s outburst on GMB, the broadcasting watchdog confirmed.

The updated figures show the number of complaints now stands at 57,121 surpassing the 44,500 over Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty’s treatment by Jade Goody and Danielle Lloyd on Celebrity Big Brother in 2007.

The moment came just after an Oprah interview, which aired in the US on March 7, in which Meghan said she had considered suicide during her time in the Royal Family feeling like she “didn’t want to be alive anymore”.

Morgan controversially said he “didn’t believe a word” of it, which prompted the boom in complaints. While in isolation the remark could be deemed as fleeting, calls of hypocrisy rang out, as Morgan lead ITV’s mental health initiative “Britain Get Talking”.

Following the backlash ITV released a statement, announcing their cutting ties with the 55-year-old, which reads as follows: “Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain.”ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add.”

The currently jobless Morgan took to Twitter saying: “Only 57,000? I’ve had more people than that come up & congratulate me in the street for what I said. The vast majority of Britons are right behind me.”

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We can confirm that this issue has attracted the highest number of complaints since our reporting began” including that the investigation into the issue is ongoing,