Ofcom clears LBC's Steve Allen after Tilly Ramsay comment – listeners used to him being "provocative"
In total, 860 complaints were made about the remark.
Radio presenter Steve Allen has been cleared of the Ofcom complaints received following a comment he made about Tilly Ramsay during his LBC show.
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".
Many listeners took to social media to complain that the statement was highly inappropriate, with Ramsay herself responding shortly after, saying that Allen's words were a "step too far".
Nevertheless, Ofcom has decided not to uphold the complaints against Allen, but did say in a statement that it has "provided guidance to LBC to take greater care in 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.
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“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.”
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When the comment was first broadcast on Monday 18th October, Ramsay put out a statement via her personal Instagram account.
"Steve, please feel free [to] voice your opinions, however I draw the line at commenting on my appearance," it read. "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."
Ramsay added: "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.”
It was later widely reported that Allen had contacted Ramsay privately to apologise for his remark.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One at 7:05pm on Saturday 11th December. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
