Strictly: Tilly Ramsay receives private apology from LBC’s Steve Allen for calling her ‘chubby’ live on air
Chef and social media star described having a ‘tough week’ during Saturday’s episode of ‘Strictly’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Radio presenter Steve Allen has issued a private apology to Tilly Ramsay after calling her a “chubby little thing” live on air.
Last week, the Strictly Come Dancing contestant called out LBC host Allen after he made derogatory comments about her and her dancing on his radio show.
“She’s a chubby little thing, isn’t she? Have you noticed?” Allen had said, adding: “Probably her [father Gordon Ramsay’s] cooking, I should imagine.”
Responding, Ramsay wrote on Instagram: “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.
“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… I won’t tolerate people that think it’s okay to publicly comment and scrutinise anyone’s weight and appearance.”
The PA news agency has reported that Allen apologised to Ramsay this week in a private message.
During Saturday (23 October) night’s episode of Strictly, Ramsay admitted that she’d had a “tough week”, having also completed her first exam at university, where she recently started studying psychology.
She and partner Nikita Kuzmin earned an impressive 36 points for their Foxtrot to “Little Things” by One Direction, progressing through to next Saturday’s Halloween special.
Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday 30 October at 7.10pm on BBC One.