My heart sank when I got a text from my mate, ice skater Matt Evers, this week.
He’s become one of my best friends after we were paired together on Dancing On Ice. I’d dropped him a message to congratulate him on being paired with Gemma Collins on the new series.
After replying saying she was “hilarious” he added: “Denise, I’ve never, ever experienced trolling like when it was announced I was paired with Gemma.”
Now, Gemma is a controversial reality star. She accepts the fact she – and her whole GC persona – are a bit Marmite. I think she’s great fun.
She’s been criticised relentlessly over the years for her size and is again being ridiculed in the build-up to this show. What a cruel world. The best revenge for Gemma would be to go on and win – I think she could do it.
To combat obesity we have to look at the underlying emotional issues, and that’s why I turned to cognitive behavioural therapy. It has changed my life.
Fat shaming is an appalling issue in this country. And it has to stop. It rears its ugly head too often and sometimes in the most unusual of places.
Take this week, when the kind and jovial Anton Du Beke made a fat joke about former boxer Prince Naseem Hamed at an awards do. He was laughing about how he’d struggle to climb stairs to the stage.
As someone who battled with obesity and food addiction for years, and has had mental health issues, I know how Prince Naseem would have been feeling that day.
There would have been a load of people at that event who’d have only remembered him as a fit, agile young boxer. He’d have walked into that room feeling vulnerable and self-conscious about his weight. To be publicly shamed for it is horrendous.
I know enough about Anton to know he’s not a cruel fat-shamer. He probably thought it was the kind of room that would applaud that kind of comment. Hopefully, he’s learned a lesson – to think about how your words are going to affect somebody.
It doesn’t matter if you are a tough boxer or a reality TV star – fat shaming hurts, is wrong and must stop.
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