Fearne Cotton calls out trolls for 'judging' her body in mirror pic: 'I love food'

Fearne Cotton has responded to online trolls "judging" her body for being too slim after she posted a mirror selfie.

The star, 41, defended her "knobbly knees" and "spindly ankles" from criticism in the comments of a picture of her wearing a dress and boots ensemble with bare legs.

In a follow-up post on Instagram, the mother-of-two wrote: "Sometimes I think, I can't be arsed to respond to the insane amounts of noise on here, but when it comes to judging bodies I feel something has to be said."

She added: "If we are judging other people's bodies or making accusations we are driving a narrative that women have to look a certain way to be accepted. This sort of attention is not cast upon men, ever."

Cotton revealed that "no matter what my size, pregnant or otherwise, I have knobbly knees and spindly ankles.

"I have always held my weight around my midriff. It's different for everyone. But also I'm not sure why I am defending myself here.

Read more: Fearne Cotton's bulimia battle – the eating disorder explained

"Due to having been bulimic in my twenties I am extra sensitive to these sorts of discussions as I have worked hard to heal, recover and get to a place where I love food, eat for energy and pleasure, exercise to give my strength now I'm in my forties and feel so grateful for my health."

In 2019, she shared on the How To Fail podcast that she struggled with the eating disorder "on and off” for a decade, after not feeling "cool enough, smart enough or good enough”.

The Happy Place podcast host finished by insisting that she was "more than what my body looks like, as are ALL women".

Cotton's post resonated with social media users who left more than 115,000 'likes' and over 4,300 supportive comments.

Read more: Atack and Cotton receive 'disturbing' messages and photos after sexual harassment podcast

This included TikTok star Dr Julie Smith, who wrote: "Perfectly said. I wish every woman knew that how she looks is the least interesting thing about her."

Ashley James told her "well said", while Alex Scott left a series of clapping hand emojis.

Watch: Fearne Cotton talks you through the A to Z of Happiness