Location, Location, Location presenter Kirstie Allsopp has spoken out to address criticism of an interview which appeared in a newspaper this weekend.
There was public outcry after comments which were interpreted as meaning young people could afford to buy a house if they gave up their luxuries in life.
Responding, Kirstie said on Twitter that media "want to bitch for clicks" and that her words were twisted by the media. She said: "Housing is the most serious issue in the UK today. It impacts everything education, health, relationships, pensions, fertility, the environment, productivity etc etc. Unfortunately our press don’t want to take is seriously, they want to bitch for clicks. God help us."
The 50-year-old also added: "Headline writers twist everyone’s words not just mine, and not just in the Murdoch press. No wonder newspapers are a dying industry, we have less and less reason to believe a word they say."
Kirstie said young people now expected things like Netflix, the gym, and coffee to be part of their lives. She said some young people could afford to save up for a deposit if they decided to spend money in different ways, but acknowledged it didn't apply to everyone. You can read more Showbiz news here.
Those who came out strongly against Kirstie included former Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan, who tweeted: "Every time Kirstie Allsopp trends, I check why and see she’s said another unbelievably stupid, ludicrously ill-informed and woefully privileged thing. Then I wait for her to respond to the entirely justified outrage by throwing her toys out of the pram & quitting Twitter again."
Many others raised that she had her parents help to buy her first home, her dad is the 6th Baron Hindlip, and that her views are outdated and privileged. You can read more about Kirstie's family life here.
Kirstie said: "They vent their spleen at the subject of the headline, without a thought about the impact of this abuse, or whether they really want to allow themselves to be manipulated like this. Rage poisons us, it’s not a positive emotion."
Financial columnist and author for The Spectator, Matthew Lynn, said an average home now costs nine times the average salary. He said: "She is ignoring the bigger picture. When Allsopp was walking to work to buy her first flat, the average home cost about five times her then salary of £11,500. Today, the average home costs about £260,000, or nine times the average salary."
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