Sorry, Tilly
Radio DJ finally apologises to Strictly star he called ‘a chubby little thing’ on air
TILLY Ramsay has received a private apology from a radio host who called her a ‘chubby little thing’ live on air.
LBC presenter Steve Allen, 67, came under fire after he said he was bored with the teenager’s performances on Strictly and criticised her weight.
The CBBC host, 19, had responded to Allen’s barbs by writing on Instagram that she ‘won’t tolerate people that think it’s OK to publicly comment and scrutinise anyone’s weight and appearance’.
It was revealed yesterday that Allen had contacted Miss Ramsay later last week to apologise.
The row began when Allen read out a listener comment informing him Miss Ramsay was a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef Australia.
He replied: ‘Is she? Well, she can’t blimming well dance, I’m bored with her already.
‘She’s a chubby little thing, isn’t she? Have you noticed?’
Referring to her father, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, he added: ‘Probably her dad’s cooking, I should imagine.’
Miss Ramsay, who is paired with Nikita Cuzmin on the BBC1 show, hit back at the comments, saying they were a ‘step too far’.
And they sparked outrage on social media with Dr Alex George, a former Love Island contestant, saying he was ‘absolutely horrified’ by the comments and had emailed LBC about it.
It Takes Two presenter Janette Manrara called her a ‘powerful young lady’, writing: ‘How fast we forget what hurtful comments can do for someone’s mental health.’ It came as Strictly’s first all-male pairing, John Whaite and Johannes Radebe, revealed they have turned off most of their social media accounts to block out homophobic abuse.
Talking to Hello! magazine, former Bake-Off winner Whaite revealed he had permanently deleted his Twitter, describing the site as a ‘breeding ground for toxic opinion’.
His professional partner Radebe added: ‘I did it for the sake of my mental health.
‘For me to function properly and give John the experience he deserves, I need to be fit mentally and physically.
‘If you consider what people are saying about you on social media you would never survive an experience like this.’
The pair came top of the leaderboard on Saturday night’s show, scoring 38 points for their charleston. Miss Ramsay came third for her foxtrot, while East Enders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis waltzed into second spot. n Read the full interview with John Whaite and Johannes Radebe in Hello! magazine, out now.
‘You would never survive this’