LBC radio presenter Steve Allen has been cleared by Ofcom of complaints made against him due to a comment on one of his shows about Tilly Ramsay.
In total, 860 complaints were filed regarding the remark, which occurred during a discussion of Strictly Come Dancing, as Allen described the children’s television host and social media star as a “chubby little thing”.
In the end Ofcom decided not to uphold the complaints, but according to the Radio Times it has provided guidance to LBC to take greater care in the future.
A spokesperson for the regulator said: “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.”
How did Tilly Ramsay initially respond to Allen's remark?
When Allen's comment was first aired on Monday October 18 this year Ramsay took to her personal Instagram page to respond.
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.
“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," she added.
It was later widely reported that Allen had contacted Ramsay privately to apologise for his remark.
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