Yahoo News Lorraine Kelly cleared by Ofcom over Nigel Farage 'bodyshaming' complaints
The chat show host said 'you get the face you deserve' as she expressed shock that Nigel Farage was only 59.
Lorraine Kelly has been cleared by Ofcom after prompting hundreds of complaints for comments about Nigel Farage that some viewers labelled "body shaming".
Media regulator Ofcom had received 428 complaints about her comments, but ruled that they saw no problem with the TV discussion.
The chat show host was speaking to guests including former MP and I'm A Celebrity contestant Edwina Currie on her ITV show Lorraine in November, where they discussed Farage being in the jungle reality show.
Ex UKIP leader Farage's naked bottom had been shown on I'm A Celebrity as he took a shower and Kelly had claimed to be "traumatised" by the scenes.
She also got into a discussion about Farage's age as Currie suggested that Farage was hoping the show would "enhance his reputation".
"He's only 59, he's got plenty of years ahead of him," Currie said.
Kelly, 64, looked shocked to hear his age, replying: "God is he? Is he only 59? I thought he was a hell of a lot older than that.
"That is astonishing. You get the face you deserve, thankfully. You really do."
But some viewers accused Kelly of bodyshaming as one person commented on X: "Thought what you said about Nigel Farage body-shaming him on live TV was unprofessional and insultingly mean and derogatory."
Another remarked: "Imagine any man body-shaming a woman live on TV. He’d be cancelled. It’s ok for women to do it, so it seems."
Ofcom has assessed the complaints from the November episode of Lorraine, but did not agree that her comments were in breach of broadcasting guidelines.
A spokesperson for Ofcom said: "We considered complaints from viewers who objected to comments made about Nigel Farage's physical appearance.
"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."
Farage was a controversial addition to the 2023 I'm A Celeb camp, but ended up finishing in third place - behind series winner Made In Chelsea star Sam Thompson, and runner-up former boxer Tony Bellew.
Other campmates included Josie Gibson and Jamie-Lynn Spears.
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