10 January 2024 , 11:21
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ITV host Lorraine Kelly has been cleared by TV watchdog Ofcom after more than 400 viewers complained that she had 'fat shamed' politician and I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! star, Nigel Farage.
Back in November, the UK broadcasting regulator, which investigates content viewers or listeners report as offensive, released its list of shows that have received over 50 complaints over the past week.
In the chronologically ordered rundown, Lorraine's episode on 21 November garnered 354 complaints. The blow comes a few days after Lorraine passed a savage remark about Nigel Farage while discussing I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! on her beloved daytime show.
Lorraine made a brutal dig about Nigel Farage's appearance (ITV)While interviewing Edwina Currie about her own experience on the gritty ITV reality series, the 63-year-old caused outrage after seemingly insulting the former UKIP leader's appearance.
“I think he’s in there because he thinks he can enhance his reputation," Currie said. "He’s seen as a responsible, intelligent and worthy person of some kind or other. He’s only, what 59? He’s got plenty ahead of him if he wants to get going again."
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Lorraine gasped in response to this, stunned by the revelation of Farage's real age. "Is he?! Is he only 59? I thought he was a hell of a lot older than that," she admitted. "That’s astonishing, that just shows you get the face you deserve! You really do."
She also said she was "traumatised" after seeing Farage's nude backside. It didn't take long for people to condemn Lorraine's comment, with many taking to Twitter to demand she retracts her words.
The comments made by the presenter on the morning chat show in November ended with a total of 428 complaints to Ofcom as viewers were left disgusted by Lorraine's words.
Ofcom assessed the comments but have now confirmed they did not raise issues that warranted an official investigation under the Broadcasting Code.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage's team demanded an apology from Lorraine over her derogatory comments (ITV)An Ofcom spokesperson said that the discussion felt 'light-hearted' and not concerning. "We considered complaints from viewers who objected to comments made about Nigel Farage’s physical appearance," they explained.
"In our view, the brief exchange between the host and a reporter were part of a light-hearted discussion about jungle life, and within audience expectations for this programme."
Following Lorraine's controversial words on Farage, viewers demanded an apology from the presenter. Taking to Twitter, one ITV viewer fumed: "Why hasn’t Lorraine Kelly apologised for body shaming Nigel Farage yet? Imagine if he made those comments about her on live TV… The media would cancel him."
Another said: "I thought what Lorraine said about Nigel Farage body shaming him on live TV was unprofessional and insultingly mean and derogatory. I’m sure if a male presenter had said that about a female in the same situation then he would have been fired…"
GB News presenter Mike Parry also expressed his disapproval of the comment during a panel discussion on News of the Week, calling it "very unfair" and "very unlike Lorraine Kelly."
Despite calls for an apology, Lorraine has remained silent on the matter.
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The Mirror has reached out to her representatives for comment.