Steve Allen’s cruel fatshaming comments about Strictly’s Tilly Ramsay hit with HUNDREDS of Ofcom complaints
STEVE Allen’s cruel fat-shaming comments about Strictly’s Tilly Ramsay has sparked HUNDREDS of complaints to Ofcom.
The 67-year-old shock jock sparked outrage last week when he branded her a “chubby little thing” while on LBC radio.
He took aim at the 19-year-old’s body weight and image, with Tilly, daughter of chef Gordon Ramsay, rightly hitting back telling him she “won’t tolerate people who publicly scrutinise how she looks”.
Her response attracted huge support by her Strictly co-stars and fellow celebs – whilst LBC listeners reached out to media watchdog Ofcom.
The broadcasting ombudsman receive an incredible 840 complaints from people accusing Allen of breaking the Broadcasting Code on October 18th.
They are now investigating the incident under section three of the code which reflects Ofcom’s duty to prohibit material containing hatred, abusive and derogatory treatment.
A spokesperson for media watchdog Ofcom told Metro.co.uk : “We are assessing the complaints against our broadcasting rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.”
Steve is yet to respond to the backlash surrounding his comments, after attacking Tilly’s dancing skills as well as her weight, telling listeners: “She’s a chubby little thing, isn’t she? Have you noticed? Probably her dad’s cooking, I should imagine.”
In response, Tilly posted a statement on Instagram shutting down his rude commentary on her body, encouraging him to be kinder considering she is still a teenager.
“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,” she wrote.
“Steve, please feel free to 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.
“This isn’t the first and definitely won’t be the last comment made about my appearance and I accept that and I’m learning to accept myself.
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“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 its 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.”
Among those voicing their support was Gary Lineker, who branded Steve a “vile excuse of a bloke”, while Jason Manford added he was a “bitter old p***k”.
Nikita Kuzmin, Tilly’s pro dance partner on Strictly, sent her messages of support on her post, with his girlfriend Nicole Wurt also sharing her love for the young star.
While dad Gordon has not commented on the issue, it’s now believed that fellow LBC radio staff want Steve fired for his comments.
A source told The Sun: “Steve’s outdated and archaic comments have been allowed to continue for far too long and plenty of people want him out.
“There’s free speech and then there is calling a teenage girl fat live on the radio. Plenty of people think it’s time he was given his marching orders because this isn’t the first time he’s made unacceptable comments on air and hasn’t been reprimanded.
“He should issue an apology at the least — but people want him gone.”
Multiple reports of Allen slamming celebrities have surfaced since Tilly spoke out.
He once accused cancer-stricken Sarah Harding of being ‘needy’ and a ‘self-imposed alcoholic’ during a vile rant.
He called Love Islander Amy Hart ‘a useless person’ in brutal put down, and branded Megan McKenna ugly prompting her to accuse him of ‘bullying’.
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