Strictly’s Tilly Ramsay was seen for the first time since she hit out at LBC’s Steve Allen, 67, for calling her a ‘chubby little thing’.
The 19-year-old was pictured arriving at the It Takes Two studios in London on Wednesday alongside her dancer partner Nikita Kuzmin, 23.
Tilly appeared to be in a good mood following the wave of support from fans after she expressed her shock at having her appearance criticised on national radio.
Defiant display: Strictly’s Tilly Ramsay was seen for the first time since she hit out at LBC’s Steve Allen, 67, for calling her a ‘chubby little thing’
Tilly put on a defiant display as she walked alongside Nikita in a green hoodie and black sports leggings.
Refusing to let the cruel insult get her down, the teenage daughter of Gordon Ramsay appeared to be smiling underneath her mask as she chatted to the professional dancer.
Earlier in the day, the CBBC presenter had taken to Instagram to respond to LBC radio presenter Steve fat-shaming her on his radio show.
Cruel: On his show, Steve had said: ‘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’ (pictured in 2019)
Supported: The 19-year-old was pictured arriving at the It Takes Two studios in London on Wednesday alongside her dancer partner Nikita Kuzmin
Brave: Tilly appeared to be in a good mood following the wave of support from fans after she expressed her hurt and shock at having her appearance criticised on national radio
In the post, Tilly revealed she was ‘learning to accept’ herself but had still been left ‘hurt’ by the shocking remarks.
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 in Celebrity MasterChef Australia.
Steve – 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.’
In response to the remarks, 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.
Shocking: Tilly said she was deeply hurt that Steve had felt the need to comment on her weight after watching her on Strictly
Shock: The CBBC presenter had taken to Instagram to respond to LBC radio presenter Steve fat-shaming her on his radio show
Casually-clad: Tilly put on a defiant display as she walked alongside Nikita in a green hoodie and black sports leggings
Departure: A beaming Tilly later emerged from the studios after her TV appearance
Cute: The pair smiled for the camera as they posed for photos
Outfit change: Tilly had changed into an animal print minidress and black boots
Rehearsals: The pair appeared in high spirits, no doubt excited about Saturday’s upcoming show
Sleek: Tilly wore her blonde hair down in a straight centre-parting
Home time: The television personality headed to a car after her interview on the show
‘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.’
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.
Grateful: And Tilly was deeply touched when Love Island’s Dr Alex George wrote an email to LBC telling the station he was ‘absolutely horrified by the remarks’
Fury: Dr Alex wrote: ‘I am absolutely horrified by these remarks. It is widely recognised just how damaging such comments about someone’s weight are and the effect they can have’
‘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.
And Tilly was deeply touched when Love Island’s Dr Alex George wrote an email to LBC telling the station he was ‘absolutely horrified by the remarks’.
The CBBC star reshared his letter on Instagram alongside the words: ‘@DrAlexGeorge thank you so much’.
Friendship: Refusing to let the cruel insult get her down, the teenage daughter of Gordon Ramsay appeared to be smiling underneath her mask as she chatted to the dancer
Cool dude: Nikita rocked a leather jacket, black hoodie and patterned jeans
It read: ‘Dear LBC Radio, I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to you in my capacity as Youth Mental Health Ambassador regarding the comments made by your presenter Steve Allen, on LBC Radio this morning.
‘Steve Allen made the following comments about Tilly Ramsay live on air, “She’s a chubby little thing isn’t she? Have you noticed? Probably her dad’s cooking I should imagine.”
‘I am absolutely horrified by these remarks. It is widely recognised just how damaging such comments about someone’s weight are and the effect they can have on an individual’s mental health.
Sweet treat: The dancer treated himself to a lollypop as he got out of the car
Natural: Tilly went make-up free for the outing and wore her blonde hair back in a low bun
‘We must not only think of the effect on Tilly here, which I can imagine could be significant, but also the potential impact to listeners of the show.
‘I am sure LBC, and Global as a whole, do not condone such comments. We are currently seeing a rise in the prevalence of eating disorders, with up to 3.4million people in the UK currently being affected. We must not underestimate the impact such remarks can have, feeding into the perpetual cycle of weight stigma that still exists here in the UK.
‘To reiterate, the discussion highlighted above about a young person’s weight live on air is not acceptable. I look forward to hearing your response to these comments and how we can work towards such a situation never arising again.
‘Yours sincerely, Dr Alex George.’
Hitting back: The television personality is refusing to let Steve’s cruel comments get her down
Preparations: Nikita gave Tilly a helping hand as she got out of the car with lots of bags
Meanwhile, 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’.
Two of a kind: Tilly is partnered with Nikita Kuzmin on this year’s Strictly
Tired: Tilly looked a little weary after throwing herself into rehearsals this week for Saturday’s show
Support: Strictly stars flooded the post with support for Tilly
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
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.
Keep dancing: McFly’s Tom Fletcher and Amy Dowden were also spotted arriving for filming It Takes Two
All dressed up: Professional dancer Amy looked lovely in a blue pleated maxi dress and black heels
Getting ready to film: The pair chatted to one another as they waiting outside the studios
Tilly and her Dad also hosted a regular cooking item on This Morning, Big Chef Little Chef.
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.
Arrival: Tom rocked a maroon jacket and navy suit trousers for the TV appearance
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.
WHO IS STEVE ALLEN?
Steve, 67, first worked as a nightclub DJ where he met long-time friend Dale Winton and subsequently joined the United Biscuits Network, a radio station broadcasting to workers in the United Biscuits factories
UBN closed in 1979, and Allen joined LBC as presenter of the Night Extra programme.
He then moved on to present The Night is Young on the station.
When LBC was separated into two stations- 1152 AM and 97.3 FM, Steve presented the afternoon show for London Talkback Radio and Saturday Night Out.
Currently, Steve presents the early breakfast show on LBC between 4am and 7am from Monday to Friday.
The show involves discussion of stories from the day’s newspapers, and his personal anecdotes and gripes about daily life.
In 2015, Allen released a book entitled So You Want to be a Celebrity?
The man behind the voice: Steve (pictured in 2012) presents the early breakfast show on LBC between 4am and 7am from Monday to Friday