‘I shouldn’t feel uncomfortable’: Gogglebox’s Amy Tapper lobbies to normalise bigger plane and theme park seats for plus-sized passengers… after ’embarrassing’ past experiences
Gogglebox star Amy Tapper has revealed she wants to make plus-sized people feel more comfortable on planes and at theme parks.
Divulging details of her past experiences, the TV favourite, 20, spoke to Vas J Morgan on his I Am Enough Instagram web series, as she admitted she was left embarrassed on a number of occasions when travelling.
After losing three stone, she joyously admitted that she now does not need seat belt extensions yet still revealed she wants others to feel comfortable and to promote ‘variations of people’ in all walks of life.
Changing look: Gogglebox star Amy Tapper has revealed she wants to make plus-sized people feel more comfortable on planes and at theme parks (pictured after her three stone weight loss)
Vas revealed he met TV favourite Amy, who recently overcame coronavirus along with her family, during their 2018 stint on Celebs Go Dating and admitted they are ‘peas in a pod’ and ‘connected instantly’.
Since shooting to fame aged just 13 on the Channel 4 show, Amy’s weight battle has been well-documented as she has fluctuated.
While she proudly discussed her weight loss journey, the star still discussed her time in the past – including an incident at Disney World.
She said: ‘When I was 17 I went to Disney for family trip and when I went there we were walking and my dad is big and he always had that guilty feeling…
Open and honest: Divulging details of her past experiences, the TV favourite, 20, spoke to Vas J Morgan on his I Am Enough Instagram web series, as she admitted she was left embarrassed on a number of occasions when travelling
‘We went to Disney and we went to the Harry Potter section and there was one ride my mum and brother were talking about all day – a 4D simulator and when we got to the front there was a seat to test if the belt would lock.
‘Me and my dad couldn’t go on the ride and I was so upset. I was so angry as there were people were bigger but I thought I need to get my act together.’
She went on: ‘I want to help people. I want to promote variations of people. On airplanes and in theme parks. I shouldn’t be in that situation where I feel uncomfortable. People shouldn’t be embarrased’.
Since losing weight, she marked a personal milestone when she recently went to Amsterdam and was able to put on her seat belt with no extension.
The whole gang: Since shooting to fame aged just 13 on the Channel 4 show, Amy’s weight battle has been well-documented as she has fluctuated (pictured with her family)
She said: ‘Recently I went to Amsterdam and could put my seat belt on properly with no extension and told my mum and dad I could put my seatbelt on properly.’
Amy admitted she has been left red-faced in the past and struggles: ‘I need to look around and check no one is looking for me while I ask for an extension belt… I feel ashamed of it because its not the norm.’
On her struggles in the past, she said: ‘Weight for me – since I was eight I remember sitting in doctors waiting for checks and blood tests. I have a really slow metabolism…
‘All my friends know how many diets and things I’ve tried. It got to secondary school and I started doing it to make other people happy and for stupid reasons.
That was then: While she proudly discussed her weight loss journey, the star still discussed her time in the past – including an incident at Disney World (pictures from the trip)
‘I was really frustrated with myself and I was doing Slimming World at 15 and I was having late night thoughts that I’m not gonna do it if I do it for someone else.’
When she finally braced herself for change, she said: ‘It was a matter of me knowing when I was ready. I got to a point where I was ready and I wanted to do it for myself and my health. My reasoning at 15-16 – I want to fit in and share clothes with my friends. I want life to be easier.
‘Now I want to be able to go on rides at Disney and not worry the belt can’t come down. I want to go on long walks without getting out of breath in 20 mins. In the future I want kids and don’t want complications because of my weight.’
Proud: She said: ‘Recently I went to Amsterdam and could put my seat belt on properly with no extension and told my mum and dad I could put my seatbelt on properly’
Speaking about her experiences with trolls since starting on Gogglebox, she said: ‘When I started Gogglebox I was 13. It’s been seven years but not seven constant or intense years. Now I’m older I know my limits…
‘Gogglebox is still a huge programme but we were only bits of it. All I wanted to do was go on Twitter and search my name. The ones I get tagged in are lovely but the things you’re not tagged in are a different story…
‘The things you would see are nasty. What you see is a clip. Yes, me and my family watch TV and people would tweet: ‘Oh she’s so fat because all she does is sit and watch TV all day. That’s not the reason in the slightest.
Happy days: Amy has gone on her weight loss journey with her co-star dad Jonathan
‘I was lucky growing up in school, no one bullied me, I had amazing friends and no issues. Everyone was accepting and different…
‘I had the other side with people I didn’t know saying things. It frustrates me because you don’t know what happens with people, their internal struggles. When I was 15 I completely stopped, didn’t look at anything. If people want to say nasty things – there’s a delete button.’
Vas admitted he struggled with trolls when he was on TOWIE as he lauded Amy for her positive attitude towards trolls at a young age.
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