Kate Lawler was “horrified” by “body shamers” comparing her to the late Nikki Graham.
Kate Lawler hit out at Instagram body shamers
The 43-year-old TV presenter posed a holiday snap to Instagram but was left "shocked" by comments comparing her to her fellow 'Big Brother' star Nikki Grahame - who died in 2021 at the age of 38 after a long battle with anorexia - and dubbed them “outrageous and so insensitive” when they accused her of "triggering" those who suffer from eating disorders.
The ITV Daytime star - who has 484,000 followers - told The Sun newspaper's Fabulous magazine: “I honestly couldn’t believe it.
“To compare me to her is outrageous and so insensitive to Nikki’s family.”
She said: “Poor Nikki. I have never hugged someone so tiny and frail, so those comparisons really shocked and horrified me, I thought I looked quite nice, so I decided to post it, simple as that.
“In hindsight, my arm does look quite small, but it’s the angle. It was a holiday snap, I was happy.”
“I scrolled down and saw all these negative posts about my weight. I couldn’t believe it.
“I was shocked by people asking me if I’m OK, saying I obviously had a severe calorie deficit and that whether I meant to or not, I was triggering anorexia.
“Someone asked, ‘What message are you trying to send to young girls?’ That really annoyed me!
"I wasn’t sending a message, I just posted a selfie. And if I was sending a message to young girls, it would be to eat a balanced diet, treat yourself well and exercise.”
Kate - who is mother to two-year-old daughter Noa - took aim at “double standards” of the body positivity movement.
She continued: “If someone is on Instagram showing their curves and grabbing their rolls, it’s all, ‘You go girl, well done you!’
“They’re celebrated, called real women. Well, why can’t a real woman be a healthy size eight? It’s crazy.”
The Virgin Radio DJ - who is a size eight, stands at 5’6 and weighs just over eight stone - highlighted that her diet has changed since she appeared on the Davina McCall-fronted programme in 2002.
Kate said: “I’m slim, not skinny, and I’m healthy. My BMI is within the ideal range.
“I’ve varied between 8st 4lb and 8st 8lb since the Nineties.
“I went down to 8st in my twenties when I wasn’t looking after my body, but the only time I was bigger was in ‘Big Brother in 2002.
“I put on a stone because I was sitting around for weeks eating junk and drinking sugary, alcoholic drinks.
“This is just my size. Other than walking the dogs, I don’t exercise. I’ve got a fast metabolism.”
Tagged in Kate Lawler Nikki Grahame