The Flash star Grant Gustin has admitted that he was left "shocked, saddened and angry" by the tweets that led to Hartley Sawyer losing his job on the show.

Sawyer, who played Ralph Dibny/Elongated Man on the superhero show, was summarily fired on Monday after a series of historic racist, misogynistic and homophobic tweets were unearthed.

In the messages, the 35-year-old 'joked' about 'beating the hell' out of his theoretical wife and also indicated that he was restraining himself from posting "mildly racist tweets".

The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace said that the offensive messages "broke my heart and made me mad as hell" in a statement that was reposted by Gustin, who plays the titular hero.

Writing on Instagram, he said: "I don't have much to add because Eric's thoughts are stated so eloquently and powerfully.

"I will say I was shocked, saddened and angry when I saw the tweets. Words matter."

Sawyer has posted an apology to social media in which he admits that he is "incredibly sorry, ashamed and disappointed in myself for my ignorance back then".