Gordon Ramsay has finally spoken out after his 19-year-old daughter was criticised as “chubby” by a 67-year-old radio host.
Steve Allen, who presents a show on LBC, gave his unsolicited opinion on Tilly Ramsay’s Strictly Come Dancing appearance, saying: “She can’t blimming well dance, I’m bored with her already,”
“She’s a chubby little thing, isn’t she? Have you noticed? Probably her dad’s cooking, I should imagine,” he said live on air.
His comment sparked 840 Ofcom complaints since the show was broadcast on October 18th, and Tilly herself took to Instagram with a tasteful statement criticising his comments, “I won’t tolerate people that think it’s okay to publicly comment and scrutinise anyone’s weight and appearance,” she wrote.
Her famous father has surprisingly kept quiet throughout – until this week.
The celebrity chef praised his daughter for the way she handled the situation during an Instagram Live.
Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter
“It made me feel very proud that she stood up and said, ‘I’m not taking this,’” he said.
“She is 19 years of age for goodness sake – bursting her arse off and attending university by Zoom and learning the most extraordinary moves with Nikita [Kuzmin].
“I think it was a breath of fresh air that level of standing up and saying, ‘We’re not going to tolerate that.’”
The Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares host emphasised that weight is a sensitive issue, regardless of “whether you are a girl or a guy.” He also admitted to having “always struggled” with his weight himself.
Tilly was flooded with support from fellow public figures following Steve Allen’s comments.
First Dates wine connoisseur Fred Sireux said, “What an idiot he is Tilly! His type are and will always be around. Let them talk and keep dancing xxx.”
While Jason Manford took to Instagram with the caption, “Nasty troll @steveallenlbc at it again. How on earth he’s still in a job I’ll never know, absolute dinosaur of a broadcaster.”
The London Underground even dedicated a message of support to the 19-year-old.
For anyone struggling with the issues raised in this piece, eating disorder charity Beat’s helpline is available 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677. You can visit their website here.
NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. They can be reached by phone on 845 838 2040 or their website here.
