Patrick J Adams defends former Suits co-star Meghan Markle following racist tweet

Meghan Markle’s former Suits co-star has leapt to her defence after a US political candidate targeted her in a racist tweet.
 
Patrick J Adams, who played Markle’s on-screen husband in the popular legal drama, condemned Republican businessman Paul Nehlen after he reportedly posted an edited image of Prince Harry's bride-to-be, who is biracial.
 
“You’re a sad and sick man with no sense of shame or class. Get a life,” the Canadian actor tweeted at Nehlen. 

Patrick J Adams as Mike Ross and Meghan Markle as Rachel Zane in Suits. (Image: Getty)
 
“And don’t go anywhere near MM - she’s got more power, strength, honour and compassion in her fingernail than you’ll ever know in this lifetime. 
 
“Way above your weight class.” 
 
Nehlen is running to replace Paul Ryan in the Republican Primary for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district elections later this year.

RELATED: UK political leader splits with girlfriend over her racist Meghan Markle texts
 
In January, UK Independent Party (UKIP) leader Henry Bolton split from his 25-year-old girlfriend after derogatory texts she wrote about the American actress hit the headlines.
 
Jo Marney claimed Markle, 36, would “taint” the Royal Family with “her seed” in a text exchange with a friend.

Image: Getty
 
In one message, the former glamour model described Markle as a “dumb little commoner” who’s “obsessed with race”.

“This is Britain, not Africa,” she wrote, adding, “Not wanting other races and cultures to invade your own culture doesn't mean I hate their race.”
 
Following the publication of her comments, Marney said they were “over exaggerated purely for effect” and never intended to be in the public domain.

WATCH: A look back at Meghan Markle and Patrick J Adams' on-screen relationship. (Post continues.)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will wed in May. (Image: Getty)

“But the past week has seen a line crossed. His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. 

“Some of this has been very public … the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.”
 
Speaking to the BBC following the couple’s engagement announcement last November, Markle described the public focus on her race as “disheartening”.

LISTEN: The Life Bites podcast on the importance of boundaries. (Post continues.)

"You know it's a shame that that is the climate in this world to focus that much on that or that that would be discriminatory in that sense,” she said.

“[But] at the end of the day I'm really just proud of who I am and where I come from, and we have never put any focus on that.”