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Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood received an email advising her to “moderate” her accent so her countrymen “need not squirm” when she was on Question Time.

Rhondda-born Ms Wood posted the anonymous message on her Facebook page which she described as "an attack on a Welsh person and Welshness and an attack on me being working class as well."

This is the message as it was written:

“When speaking English with a Welsh accent it can be delightful to listen to someone speaking.

“However when a broad Welsh accent as often used by Leanne Wood leaves Welsh people open to ridicule.

“A sentence such as ‘We in Waales eat caake before it becomes staale.’

(Image: Rob Browne)

“If only Leanne Wood would moderate her accent to: ‘We in Wailes eat caike before it becomes staile.’

“We proud Welsh people would then need not squirm when we are listening to BBC Question Time when Leanne Wood is on the panel.”

"An attack on a Welsh person and Welshness"

After Ms Wood posted the message on her Facebook page, it received a strong reaction with people calling the message "discrimination" and describing Ms Wood as an "eloquent" speaker.

Ms Wood said: “I wondered what kind of a reaction such a message would have and if you look at the comments it was quite a strong reaction.

“Mostly we try and teach children and young people that life is about merit and how hard you work and that things like accents should not come into it.”

She added: “This attack is an attack on a Welsh person and Welshness and an attack on me being working class as well.

“You hear a lot of criticism of our own accent from our own people and I always wonder if it is a form of self-hatred.”

The politician is used to having her accent criticised.

“I get it fairly regularly,” she said.

“It’s not the first time it has come up. Often the assumption is there is some kind of stupidity attached and that really riles me.”

And speaking about her reply to the message, she said: “I replied and said something like, ‘Your view on my accent doesn’t bother me at all. I think your position is discriminatory and bigoted and I have shared your comment with my Facebook followers.

“They took issue with the use of the word ‘bigoted’ but I think I’m justified with using that word on this occasion.”

Ms Wood does not know who the sender is.

“There was just an email address, there was no name on it,” she said.

"We need to be comfortable about who we are"

“As Welsh people and working class people we have been told over generations that we are useless and stupid and some people believe that and have taken it on board.

“Others try to fight it.”

People need to be “comfortable in our own skin,” she said.

“We need to be comfortable about who we are and where we come from, whether that is being a woman, or being from the Valleys or being working class,” Leanne said.

“I’m proud of all of that and I feel sorry for people who cannot feel comfortable in their own skin.

“I’m hopeful that we can change the situation so that everyone can feel comfortable with whoever they are.”