The musician expressed her regret on her Instagram Stories on Monday.
Rita Ora says she's "deeply sorry" for throwing a birthday party amid lockdown restrictions in London due to the coronavirus pandemic. The singer turned 30 on Thursday and according to multiple outlets, she threw a birthday bash for 30 people at a Notting Hill restaurant on Saturday.
London's lockdown guidelines currently restrict people from gathering with those outside of their household bubbles and prevent restaurants opening for anything other than takeout.
On Monday, Ora took to social media to express her regret about a "spur of the moment" celebration.
"Hello all, I attended a small gathering with some friends to celebrate my 30th birthday," Ora wrote on her Instagram Stories. "It was a spur of the moment decision made with the misguided view that we were coming out of lockdown and this would be OK."
"I'm deeply sorry for breaking the rules and in turn understand that this puts people at risk," continued Ora, who, according to The Daily Mail, voluntarily paid a $13,333 fine for the offense. "This was a serious and inexcusable error of judgement. Given the restrictions, I realize how irresponsible these actions were and I take full responsibility."
Ora added that she felt embarrassed thinking about the sacrifices others have made to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. This is something she knows all too well given how she told ET in April that her own mother, psychiatrist Vera Sahatçiu, was helping on the front lines in England amid the pandemic.
"I feel particularly embarrassed knowing first-hard how hard people have worked to combat this terrible illness and being fully aware of the sacrifices that people and businesses have made to help keep up safe," she wrote on her Instagram Stories. "Even though this won't make it right, I want to sincerely apologize."
A day prior to the reported restaurant celebration, Ora shared photos on her Instagram account showing her glammed up and eating cake while surrounded by gold balloons and party decor.
"Me and cake and some trousers I couldn’t breathe in," she captioned the slideshow. "Thank you for all the love it felt weird not doing anything for my bday so being me I dressed up and ate cake 🍰 also clock the hairspray on the table lol anyway thank you for everyone who showed me endless love on my born day I’m forever grateful you all know who you are. Today I’m going to finish the rest of my cake for breakfast lunch and dinner. Byeeeeeeeeee 🥰🎈🍰."
Ora explained her love for dressing up, even during lockdown, during her April chat with ET.
"It's just part of my DNA," she said, discussing wanting to look her best. "Since I was a kid, I would be in my mom's room dressing up in her clothes and putting on makeup. So, not a lot has changed. Even on a day off, I get dressed anyway."
"It just makes me feel better," she added. "It makes me look at myself in the mirror and think, 'You know what? I've still got it.'"
Ora also discussed the idea of dating in quarantine. See what she said below.
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