'I understand it 100%': Ashley Banjo says he 'wasn't shocked' by Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview because they had an 'eye-opening chat' with him before... as he teases new project

Ashley Banjo has revealed he was 'not shocked' by bombshell revelations made during Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Oprah interview in March.

Ashley, 32 - who had a phone call with the royals following Diversity's BAFTA-winning Black Lives Matter performance on Britain's Got Talent in September - said: 'You look at their actions to look after one another and protect their little family and I understand it 100%.'

Speaking on Friday's Lorraine, he added: 'There were a lot of things people were shocked at in their interview with Oprah. I think I was less shocked because of our conversation, we had a really long chat and it was really eye-opening for me.'

He went on: 'I'm genuinely inspired by both of them, the way they've handled themselves.'

Ashley also told host Lorraine Kelly that the royals are 'just normal people'.

The doting father continued: 'They're just normal people. They're living a slightly different life to us, but they are just people.'

During their bombshell Oprah interview, Meghan, 39, revealed a member of the royal family - who she refused to name - had raised 'concerns' about how dark her and Harry's two-year-old son Archie's skin might be when he was born.

Last week the royals announced the birth of their daughter, Lilibet Diana.

On Thursday, the dancer revealed a future project with the Sussexes may be in the works following his recent BAFTA win.

Speaking on FUBAR Radio's Access All Areas, Ashley coyly said: 'I think the paths might cross at some point, I'm not sure how.

'There's been a couple of conversations, but, yeah. I'm hoping that our paths cross. That's all I'm going to say. Keep it under wraps as they say.'

Ashley hit it off with the pair, joking that they 'are buddies now,' adding: 'We've got loads of like loads of common ground, things that we just both relate on.'

Co-host Bobby Norris joked that their blossoming friendship could lead to some one-to-one dance lessons in the future, to which Ashley said: 'Do you know what? I've heard that Harry can bust a move, so maybe. You just know he's a party boy. You know he can get down.'

Ashley and the rest of Diversity were inundated with horrific abuse following Diversity's BLM routine, which sparked over 25,000 complaints to Ofcom.

The dancer said the phone call from the royals was 'much needed' at the time as he was going through a 'dark period'.

He said: 'At the time the conversation was really needed. It was just one of many conversations I had that was like, got me through that sort of like really deep, like dark period.'

Discussing the struggles he felt at that time, Ashley said: 'You feel like when you're on socials that like so many people at you.

'So every single message of positivity with people supporting made the difference between me thinking that the whole country was against Diversity to thinking that there was a majority of support.

'That was basically down to the phone calls and the messages and the comments from the people that were there. So I'm forever grateful for them.'