LBC presenter Steve Allen was criticised after Strictly Come Dancing star Tilly Ramsay called him out for referring to her as a “chubby little thing” live on air
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Strictly: Radio host criticises Tilly Ramsay
Steve Allen has been cleared by broadcasting watchdog Ofcom over complaints about comments he made about Tilly Ramsay’s weight.
The LBC radio host had referred to the Strictly Come Dancing star and daughter of TV chef Gordon Ramsay as a “chubby little thing” live on air.
She later publicly called him out in a powerful social media statement, prompting much support from her peers and backlash against Steve.
After receiving 860 complaints, Ofcom looked into the incident, but has now said it wont launch a formal investigation against the radio host, 67.
Tilly, now 20, was just 19 when Steve’s comments were aired on October 18 while she was competing on the BBC dancing show with professional Nikita Kuzmin.
People had suggested that he breached “generally accepted standards” with his comments, but Ofcom says they won’t formally investigate it as the remarks were brief and because regular listeners of Steve’s show are used to him being “provocative”.
A spokesperson said: “We have provided guidance to LBC to take greater care in future.
“Given societal concerns about body image pressures on young people, the presenter’s criticism of a young woman’s appearance could have led to an adverse effect on wellbeing and mental health.
“But given the brevity of the comments and the likely audience’s expectations of this provocative presenter and programme, we will not be pursuing further.”
Tilly had expressed her disgust and sadness to her Instagram followers after being made aware of the comments.
She shared the clip, in which Steve was heard saying: “Tilly Ramsay is on Celebrity MasterChef Australia, is she? Well she can’t blooming well dance, I’m bored with her already.
“She’s a chubby little thing, isn’t she? Have you noticed? Probably her dad’s cooking I should imagine.”
In response, 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.
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“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.
“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 its okay to publicly comment and scrutinise anyone’s weight and appearance. Love Tilly xx”
Steve later issued a private apology to Tilly.
An insider told the Daily Star: “Tilly has been given a full apology by Steve. He wanted to make it clear that he is very sorry to have upset her. It was sent privately because he didn’t want it to look like it was done for publicity.”
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