LBC’s Steve Allen cleared by Ofcom after calling Strictly’s Tilly Ramsay ‘chubby’

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LBC presenter Steve Allen has been cleared by Ofcom following complaints over derogatory comments he made about Strictly Come Dancing star Tilly Ramsay.

The radio host came under fire in October after he referred to Tilly, who is the influencer daughter of Gordon Ramsay, as a “chubby little thing” live on air.

The remark sparked 860 complaints to media watchdog Ofcom, but it was reported on Monday (6 December) that no formal investigation would be launched into them.

While they acknowledged the impact the comments could have had on Tilly’s mental health, they said that the comments were brief and Allen’s listeners expected him to be “provocative”.

“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,” a spokesperson said.

“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.”

At the time, Tilly responded by writing on social media: “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.

“​​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… I won’t tolerate people that think it’s okay to publicly comment and scrutinise anyone’s weight and appearance.”

It was later reported that Allen had reached out to apologise to Tilly via private message.

Tilly and her professional dance partner, Nikita Kuzmin, made it to week 10 of Strictly 2021, but were eliminated ahead of last Saturday’s (4 December) quarter-final.