Reality star Whitney Thore has hit out at Eamonn Holmes and declared she will never appear on a show with him again after enduring a previous awful interview by him.
The My Big Fat Fabulous Life star, 40, rose to fame in 2014 when a YouTube video of her performing called Fat Girl Dancing went viral.
After quickly attracting millions of views, Whitney was given her own reality TV show as a result on TLC, which has run for 11 seasons, and initially documented her weight loss journey.
Back when the show began, she appeared on several UK chat shows to promote the series and discuss the importance of body positivity.
However, after one interview with Eamonn, 65, on Sky News in 2015, she has now said she will never appear alongside him again.
Speaking to the Daily Star about which UK shows she might take part in, Whitney stated: ‘I haven’t done any UK TV shows in about 10 years, but I would gladly go on any and all of them again—except for [any with] Eamonn Holmes.
Reality star Whitney Thore has hit out at Eamonn Holmes and declared she will never appear on a show with him again after enduring a previous awful interview by him (pictured in interview)
The My Big Fat Fabulous Life star, 40, rose to fame in 2014 when a YouTube video of her performing called Fat Girl Dancing went viral (pictured in interview)
The My Big Fat Fabulous Life star, 40, rose to fame in 2014 when a YouTube video of her performing called Fat Girl Dancing went viral
‘He conducted the absolute worst interview of my entire career, but other than that, my experience in the UK has always been so extremely lovely, and I love my time here so much.’
However, thankfully she still has favourable impressions of the rest of the UK, adding: ‘Just the other night I got the nicest message from an insanely famous UK singer—I won’t disclose who just for privacy reasons, but it absolutely made my day.’
The interview from 10 years ago saw Eamonn suggesting to Whitney that people see her as a bad advertisement for body image and declare her ‘heart is probably not very good’.
She explained the fatphobia she experiences, saying: ‘Fat people so often offend others in society and I find that it’s one of the last socially acceptable prejudices.’
However, Eamonn said: ‘But what about people concerned about you? I mean there might be people concerned you’re gonna keel over and die because maybe your body or your heart won’t be able to sustain all the enthusiasm that you have.’
Whitney tried to explain her motives to break down stereotypes about people who are overweight, saying: ‘I think that concern for health is often a mask to discriminate or be cruel to fat people.”
‘I’d actually like to break some stereotypes about fat people, because at 380 pounds I’m not naive to the health issues that may come if I stay this weight. But I have no major health problems and I’ve never even had high blood pressure.’
But Eamonn cut across her to repeatedly say ‘Yet…’, before claiming he had been ‘lampooned’ for his own weight.
Back when the show began, she appeared on several UK chat shows to promote the series and discuss the importance of body positivity (pictured on Lorraine in 2015)
However, after one interview with Eamonn, 65, on Sky News in 2015, she has now said she will never appear alongside him again
The interview from 10 years ago saw Eamonn suggesting to Whitney that people see her as a bad advertisement for body image and declare her ‘heart is probably not very good’
He said: ‘I am overweight, I’m constantly lampooned for being overweight. But I do speak to you from concern.
‘You’re doing your ankles no good, your knees no good, your hips no good and your heart is probably very no good. I do think there is concern people would look at you and say, “Ooh, are you sure?”‘
He then patronisingly added: ‘But at least you’re doing something. Are you doing those moves to reduce your weight or just to say, “Look I may be big, but I’m still going to enjoy myself”?’
Whitney responded: ‘So often, people say “well she’s so fat and disgusting, why is she doing that? Why she exercising, she’s killing her knees” and I think well what’s the alternative, what would you rather me do? In our society it’s like fat people can’t win.’
She added that her campaign for better body positivity has helped people who are facing all different types of prejudice, saying: ‘I hear from people who are anorexic, as much as I hear from people who are fat.
‘I also hear from people who are gay, people who are disabled, people who are dealing with any kind of societal-induced shame.
‘I think that the first part to pursuing health and happiness fully is to not be ashamed of ourselves.
‘We cannot pursue a holistic picture of health – which is mind, body and spirit – until we are happy and unashamed, and know that we are worthy and deserving.’
In July, Whitney admitted to Us Weekly that there are lots of ups and downs that come with appearing on her long-running reality series (pictured on TLC show)
But she added that the loves the series and ‘what it’s done for people’ and ‘body positivity, concluding: ‘So even though it’s really difficult, I would not change it’
In July, Whitney admitted to Us Weekly that there are lots of ups and downs that come with appearing on her long-running reality series.
She said: ‘There are so many positives that come from doing the show, unfortunately, it’s often clouded by the really scary, hard and negative things.
‘I know that My Big Fat Fabulous Life has changed people’s lives all over the world, and it’s a gift to people … I can’t imagine just taking that away because people are crazy on the Internet.’
She added that the loves the series and ‘what it’s done for people’ and ‘body positivity, concluding: ‘So even though it’s really difficult, I would not change it.’
