Strictly Come Dancing star Tilly Ramsay has lashed out at LBC’s Steve Allen after he referred to her as a ‘chubby little thing’ on his radio show.
The daughter of Gordon Ramsay took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a lengthy statement in which she expressed her hurt and shock at having her appearance criticised on national radio.
In the post, Tilly, 19, revealed that she was ‘learning to accept’ herself but had still been left ‘hurt’ by the shocking remarks.
The CBBC presenter is competing on Strictly with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin and is simultaneously featuring on the pre-recorded Celebrity MasterChef Australia.
‘I won’t tolerate people scrutinising my weight’: Strictly’s Tilly Ramsay, 19, hits out after being called a ‘chubby little thing’ by LBC’s Steve Allen, 67
Alongside the statement she shared a soundbite from Steve’s show, in which he read out a comment from a listener alerting him to the fact Tilly was taking part on Celebrity MasterChef Australia.
Steve, 67 – who is on air between 4am and 7am – then remarked: ‘Is she? Well, she can’t blimming well dance!
‘I’m bored of her already. She’s a chubby little thing isn’t she. Have you noticed? Probably her dad’s cooking I should imagine.’
Tilly penned: ‘I try not to read and listen to comments and negativity however recently being called out on a national radio station by a 67-year-old man is a step too far.
‘Steve please feel free voice your opinions however I draw the line at commenting on my appearance. It’s such a shame that someone is trying to make such a positive experience negative.’
Shocking: In Steve’s early morning breakfast show, he read out a comment from a listener alerting him to the fact Tilly was taking part on Celebrity MasterChef Australia
Shock: In the post, Tilly, 19, revealed that she was ‘learning to accept’ herself but had still been left ‘hurt’ by the shocking remarks
Tilly continued: ‘This isn’t the first and definitely wont’ be the last comment made about my appearance and I accept that and I’m learning to accept myself.
‘But please remember that words can hurt. And at the end of the day I am only 19 and I’m so grateful for all the amazing opportunities I have been able to take part in.
‘And I understand that being in the public eye obviously comes with it’s own repercussions and I’ve been aware of this from a young age.
‘However, I won’t tolerate people that think it’s okay to publicly comment and scrutinise anyone’s weight and appearance. Love Tilly xx’
She captioned the post ‘#bekind’.
MailOnline has contacted LBC for comment.
Two of a kind: Tilly is partnered with Nikita Kuzmin on this year’s Strictly
Strictly stars flooded the post with support for Tilly with Janette Manrara writing: ‘How fast we forget what hurtful comments can do for someone’s mental health. You are a POWERFUL young lady! Wear your crown w/ your head held high’.
Giovanni Pernice penned: ‘Some people are very nasty !! Don’t listen to this crap .. we love You girl ! #bekind’.
GBBO star and Strictly contestant John Whaite penned: ‘He’s a piece of old sandpaper love, worn and used and has nothing to offer the world. And his vicious scratching has only left you polished and more fabulous. Love you.’
Her sister Holly meanwhile wrote: ‘Very well said x #bekind’, while their sister Megan echoed: ‘Love you Tills’.
Elizabeth Hurley’s son Damian reached out to Tilly to write: ‘what a total w**ker. bloody uncalled for. can’t wait for you to have the last laugh and keep winning. sending you love’.
Support: Strictly stars flooded the post with support for Tilly
Chef, social media influencer and TV presenter Tilly has over 9.5 million followers on TikTok, where she regularly posts funny videos of herself and dad Gordon.
She presented Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch on CBBC, which saw her cooking and having adventures along with her family, for which she received three Children’s BAFTA nominations.
In 2017 she published her first cookery book, inspired by the show, titled: Matilda & The Ramsay Bunch: Tilly’s Kitchen Takeover.
Tilly and her Dad also hosted a regular cooking item on This Morning, Big Chef Little Chef.
Famous father: Chef, social media influencer and TV presenter Tilly has over 9.5 million followers on TikTok, where she regularly posts funny videos of herself and dad Gordon
Meanwhile, Steve has hosted the early morning breakfast show on LBC since 2000.
This isn’t the first time the presenter has come under fire for making controversial comments.
Back in 2018, Steve was rapped by Ofcom after he mocked a blind journalist who became the first person in the UK to use a miniature guide horse.
Mohammed Salim Patel from Blackburn, Lancashire, was using two-year-old American miniature horse Digby because of his fear of dogs – until the horse grew too big.
In a broadcast on October 1, Steve said he’d ‘never heard of anything so stupid’ while discussing a story on Digby.
He also said on air: ‘Well if he’s blind, tell him it’s a rabbit or something. I’ve never heard of anything so stupid.
‘This is the blind man scared of dogs hoping that a horse will guide him on his commute. Where are you going to take that for goodness sake?’
In December, communications regulator Ofcom upheld a complaint that the comments had been offensive.
In its ruling, Ofcom said: ‘Mr Allen seemed to be implying that people who are blind cannot differentiate between a rabbit and a dog.
‘We considered that this remark could have been interpreted as belittling blind people and offering a highly pejorative view of them.
‘Further, Mr Allen repeatedly questioned, in dismissive terms, the practicality of using a guide horse and emphatically dismissed what was an individual’s choice to equip himself in this way as ‘ludicrous’.
‘He also concluded that the man in question should be denied this choice (‘He’s afraid of dogs. Why? Why’s he afraid of dogs? Well don’t give him – don’t give him anything at all then. Just give him a white stick’).
‘In our view the potential offence was exacerbated by Steve Allen mocking the idea that the BBC had employed a blind cameraman.’
LBC said in its response to Ofcom that the programme is ‘centred around (Steve Allen’s) unique and acerbic take on the news of the day’.
The response added that he ‘provides fast-moving opinions on the headlines and rarely dwells on one topic for any significant amount of time’ and said his comment on the Mr Patel’s story ‘had a total duration of less than a minute’.
Under fire: Back in 2018, Steve was rapped by Ofcom after he mocked a blind journalist who became the first person in the UK to use a miniature guide horse (pictured: Mohammed Salim Patel and Digby the horse)