Chef Gordon Ramsay has finally spoken against Steve Allen about his “body shaming” comments about his daughter.
Gordon James Ramsay, 54, is a British chef, restaurateur, television personality, and writer. He founded his global restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, in 1997.
After rising to fame on the British television miniseries Boiling Point in 1999, Chef Ramsay had become one of the best-known and most influential chefs in the UK by 2004.
Matilda Elizabeth Ramsay, 19, is an English television presenter, chef, and social media influencer. Her parents are Tana Ramsay, a cookery book author, and Gordon Ramsay, a celebrity chef.
She was best known for presenting the BBC cooking show Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch on CBBC alongside her family.
Steve Allen, 67, an LBC radio presenter, had called Tilly Ramsay a “chubby little thing” during a recent segment on his show where he criticized her dancing.
“Tilly Ramsay is on Celebrity MasterChef Australia, is she?” Allen can be heard saying in a clip shared by Tilly. “Well, she can’t blooming 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.”
The comment earned him 840 Ofcom complaints and backlash online, with Tilly herself also criticizing his words.
Gordon wasn’t too impressed and has now slammed Allen, saying he won’t stand by and let someone ridicule his child for the way she looks.
Addressing the vile comments, Gordon said during an Instagram Live on Wednesday night.
“It made me feel very proud that she stood up and said, I’m not taking this,” Gordon said. “She is 19-years of age for goodness sake – busting her a**e off and attending university by Zoom and learning the most extraordinary moves with Nikita (Kuzmin).”
“I think it was a breath of fresh air that level of standing up and saying, we’re not going to tolerate that,” he added.
Gordon also discussed his own experiences with food.
“It is a very sensitive issue whether you are a girl or a guy,” he said. “I am someone who has always struggled with their weight.”
“I have to train, we eat all day,” Gordon said. “I pick, we graze, we are around food 24/7. If we don’t train I’d be 350-400 pounds – so all credit to her.”
Chef Gordon’s praise of Tilly has been reiterated by a number of other celebrities and social media users, many of who rallied around the teenager and showed their support after she stood up for herself.
Celebrities including John Whaite, Ugo Monye, Dr. Alex George, and Giovanna Fletcher spoke out in support of Tilly after Allen’s remarks.
Tilly was quick to respond to Allen’s comments and wrote on Instagram.
“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,” Tilly said. “Steve, please feel free to 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,” she said. “I won’t tolerate people that think it’s okay to publicly comment and scrutinize anyone’s weight and appearance. Love Tilly xx.”
It has been reported that Allen has since reached out to Tilly to give a private apology.