Harry Potter star Evanna Lynch has come to the defence of Strictly Come Dancing contestant Tilly Ramsay, saying it is “not the business” of a male radio DJ to make “reductive” remarks on her appearance.
CBBC presenter Ramsay previously hit back at LBC’s Steve Allen, 67, after he referred to the 19-year-old as a “chubby little thing” live on air.
Lynch, who shot to fame as Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films, has spoken openly about her battle with anorexia when she was younger.
Discussing Allen’s remarks on ITV’s Lorraine, she said: “Stop commenting on people’s appearances – it’s not their business, and judging people by their appearance, there’s just so much more to women, there’s so much more to people.
“It’s very reductive and that woman has so much more to her, and she’s showing so much more. Why is he focusing on that?
“I do also believe that saying ‘chubby’ as a derogatory word or ‘fat’ or whatever… it’s just a size. We all have to get over our fat phobia, it’s not the worst thing you can be.”
Lynch, who has written a book which explores her life with an eating disorder, added: “I really believe your body changes when your life changes.
“When I was writing my book, I lost weight and that’s fine. That’s where I am.
“I’m sitting at a desk and next year I will be out and about doing stuff, and my body will change again.
“We have to stop expecting our bodies to stay the same and stay frozen in time. It’s kind of like sucking the life out of yourself.”
Former Love Island star Dr Alex George, who was appointed a youth mental health ambassador for the Government earlier this year, has criticised Allen’s comments and written to LBC about the issue.
Ramsay who is the daughter of TV chef Gordon Ramsay, shared a clip from Allen’s show in which he 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.
“She’s a chubby little thing, isn’t she? Have you noticed? Probably her dad’s cooking, I should imagine.”
In a statement on Instagram, Ramsay wrote: “I try not to read and listen to comments and negativity however recently being called out on a national radio station by a 67-year-old man is a step too far.
“Steve please feel free voice your opinions however I draw the line at commenting on my appearance.
“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.
“But please remember that words can hurt and at the end of the day I am only 19, and I’m so grateful for all the amazing opportunities I have been able to take part in, and I understand that being in the public eye obviously comes with its own repercussions, and I’ve been aware of this from a young age.
“However, I won’t tolerate people that think it’s okay to publicly comment and scrutinise anyone’s weight and appearance.”
She added the caption “#bekind”.
