US reality TV star Whitney Thore has slammed a past interview with Eamonn Holmes, calling it the “absolute worst” of her career and vowing never to appear on TV with him again.
The 40-year-old, known for her hit TLC series My Big Fat Fabulous Life, has spent over a decade promoting body positivity and challenging societal standards.
The series, which first aired in 2015 and recently wrapped up its 12th season, showcases Thore’s journey as she advocates for self-acceptance while navigating life in the public eye.
In addition to her on-screen work, Thore has collaborated with figures like Tess Holliday and Natalie Hage to fight fat shaming and dismantle harmful stereotypes about body image.
However, early in her career, she encountered a jarring moment that still lingers in her memory.
Reflecting on her 2015 interview with Holmes on Sky News, Thore recalled how the interaction left her feeling judged and dismissed after he openly criticised her lifestyle, suggesting she was setting a bad example and adding, “Your heart is probably not very good.”
“I haven’t done any UK TV shows in about 10 years, but I would gladly go on any and all of them again – except for [any with] Eamonn Holmes,” Thore told the Daily Star.
“He conducted the absolute worst interview of my entire career, but other than that, my experience in the UK has always been so extremely lovely, and I love my time here so much”.
During the controversial interview, Thore addressed Holmes with a pointed observation about societal biases.
“Fat people so often offend others in society,” she said, “and I find that it’s one of the last socially acceptable prejudices.”
The GB News broadcaster responded: “But what about people concerned about you?
“I mean, there might be people concerned you’re gonna keel over and die because maybe your body or your heart won’t be able to sustain all the enthusiasm that you have.”
Thore stood her ground, reiterating her point about prejudice. “I think that concern for health is often a mask to discriminate or be cruel to fat people,” she replied.
“I’d actually like to break some stereotypes about fat people, because at 380 pounds, I’m not naive to the health issues that may come if I stay this weight. But I have no major health problems, and I’ve never even had high blood pressure.”
However, the broadcaster continued to press the issue, listing potential health risks while she appeared visibly uncomfortable. “I have to say, I advocate—I am overweight, I’m constantly lampooned for being overweight—but I do speak to you from concern,” he stated.
He added: “You’re doing your ankles no good, your knees no good, your hips no good, your heart probably no good. So I do think there is concern.
Turning to Thore’s viral dancing videos, he questioned her motivations. “But at least you’re doing something. Are you doing those moves to reduce your weight, or to say, ‘I may be big, but I can still enjoy myself?’”
Now Holmes is dealing with his own health challenges, including mobility issues following back surgery. According to reports in the Express, he primarily relies on a wheelchair but can use a walker for short distances.
In January last year, he spoke candidly about living with what he described as an "epidemic of pain" and shared the difficult reality that he may never regain full mobility. Sadly, these health struggles meant he was unable to attend the funeral of his beloved mother, Josie, in November 2023.
At the time, the former This Morning presenter shared: “It's as if somebody up there is playing with my life.
“In the past year, I've had an operation on my back which went wrong and has confined me to a wheelchair. I've fallen and broken my shoulder. Honestly, you could not make it up.”
