Strictly Come Dancing 2021: Steve Allen issues ‘private apology’ to Tilly Ramsay over ‘chubby’ comment

LBC presenter Steve Allen has faced backlash over his comments about Tilly Ramsay’s weight
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Allen, 67, faced criticism after saying on LBC radio that he was “bored” with the 19-year-old’s performances on the BBC show and her physical appearance was probably to do with “her dad’s cooking”.

Matilda (Tilly) Ramsay (Picture:BBC)Matilda (Tilly) Ramsay (Picture:BBC)
Matilda (Tilly) Ramsay (Picture:BBC)
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

CBBC presenter Ramsay, daughter of celebrity chef Gordon, hit back on social media, saying she “won’t tolerate people that think it’s OK to publicly comment and scrutinise anyone’s weight and appearance”.

Allen contacted her earlier this week to issue an apology, the PA news agency understands.

On his radio show, Allen had read out a comment from a listener telling him the teenager is taking part in Celebrity MasterChef Australia.

He replied: “Is she? Well, she can’t blimming well dance, I’m bored with her already.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“She’s a chubby little thing, isn’t she? Have you noticed? Probably her dad’s cooking, I should imagine.”

Host Steve Allen made the comments about Tilly’s weight live on air (Photo: PA)Host Steve Allen made the comments about Tilly’s weight live on air (Photo: PA)
Host Steve Allen made the comments about Tilly’s weight live on air (Photo: PA)

‘Absolutley horrified’

Former Love Island star Dr Alex George, who was appointed a youth mental health ambassador for the Government earlier this year, criticised his comments.

He shared a screenshot of an email he sent to LBC about the incident on Instagram and said he was “absolutely horrified” by the remarks.

Ramsay was also inundated with support from her Strictly Come Dancing co-stars, with It Takes Two presenter Janette Manrara writing: “How fast we forget what hurtful comments can do for someone’s mental health.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Saturday’s episode of Strictly saw Ramsay secure third place on the leaderboard with 36 points.

After her dance, she spoke of her joy after a “difficult week of training”.

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going. You can also sign up to our newsletters and get a curated selection of our best reads to your inbox every day.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.