Jameela Jamil hits back at ageist Twitter troll, saying she has 'had cancer twice'

Jameela Jamil has hit back at a Twitter troll who told her she was too old to dress a certain way, saying she was offended as someone who had “had cancer twice”.

The actor and TV presenter had been photographed in an off-the-shoulder, puff-sleeved floral dress and white heels in New York at the end of September, but was subjected to a vicious comment from a man who tweeted her to say: “You are too old to dress like that. Not a good look.”

But Jamil, 33, used the comment to highlight what she called a “cultural taboo around aging” and said that it was particularly offensive to her as someone who had spent much of her life battling chronic illness.

She wrote: “I would just like to say, that as someone who has been chronically ill my whole life, and had cancer twice, I find it EXTREMELY offensive that there is a cultural taboo around aging. Those of us who fight for our lives and those who lost that fight young, deserve more respect.”

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In another tweet, she said the ageing was an “achievement/privilege”.

Jamil also added that the majority of abusive comments she received on social media were from men.

She tweeted: “The biggest nonsense always comes from men in my mentions. I like men. I know wonderful men. I’m not saying all men are like this. But some men are not doing the rest of you favours on this app. They are currently the vast majority of the people who say dumb s**t to me.”

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An earlier tweet responded to the trolling by saying that she didn’t care how old people thought she was, because “not everyone gets the luxury of getting older”.

The Good Place star has talked in the past about a breast cancer scare over a lump that turned out not to be cancerous.

She has also spoken candidly about her struggles with coeliac disease and its huge effects on her life, as well as various serious food allergies including peanuts and shellfish.

Jamil is also a longtime supporter of charity Teenage Cancer Trust.