Twitter removes blue ticks from verified accounts including Ant and Dec, the Pope and Cristiano Ronaldo

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The great blue tick removal was supposed to happen weeks ago but notable accounts have now started to lose their verified status.

Twitter has started to remove legacy blue ticks from notable accounts, with celebrities, journalists and sportspeople all mourning the loss of the verified label. The marks were originally launched to ensure accounts belonged to the people they claimed to be.

Users will now have to pay for the blue tick, as part of the ‘Twitter Blue’ offering that Elon Musk hopes will solve the social media company’s financial woes. Despite some policy changes over the past few months, it appears the process of removal has now begun.

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The blue ticks were due to be removed from April 1, but that did not happen. Since then, Musk has told the BBC he would remove the marks on April 20 - which is apparently a date which has particular significance to him.

The special date might have been linked to the SpaceX launch of the biggest and most powerful rocket from its base in Texas. While the rocket left the platform, it exploded four minutes later.

Notable people on Twitter have already begun to comment as their blue ticks disappear. The Pope, JK Rowling and Cristiano Ronaldo have all lost their verification marks.

Ant and Dec, the Conservative party and the Labour party are also now unverified, as are the Prince and Princess of Wales. Previously, NBA icon LeBron James and the Associated Press have said they will not pay to keep their ticks. However, James still appeared to have his on Thursday evening, while the Associated Press had a gold one.

Tweeting, television presenter Rylan said: Bye bye blue tick. At least I can now tweet **** and say it wasn’t the real me.”

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