Adrian Chiles has suffered “fat-shaming” since his schooldays.
Adrian Chiles has suffered ‘fat-shaming’ since his schooldays
The broadcaster, 56, famed for fronting ‘Match of the Day 2’ and the BBC’s ‘One Show’, admitted being branded “overweight” by a PE teacher at school was “seared in his memory”.
He said in his column for The Guardian newspaper: “If you want to fat-shame me, you will find it very easy; just call me overweight and I will be very hurt indeed.
“I’ve been heavier (tellingly, I can barely bring myself to write the word ‘fatter’) and I’ve been a bit lighter. But, honestly, I don’t think a day goes by when I don’t think about it… specific references to my weight back then are seared – and I mean seared – on my memory. They still play out in HD in my mind.
“A couple of examples. When I was about 12 and out of breath during school football practice, the teacher grabbed a pinch of me and said exactly this: ‘You’re carrying passengers, son. Too many potatoes.’
“I was appalled. One Christmas Day, my Auntie Marj told me to stand up so she could have a good look at me, because her sister had told her I was getting fat. “’But you’re not too bad,’ she said. This didn’t help.”
Adrian made the remarks while discussing how Labour peer Peter Mandelson, 70, was accused of “fat-shaming” the party’s leader Sir Keir Starmer, 61, by saying he needed to “shed a few pounds”.
The BBC radio presenter added he thought Sir Keir’s body shape was “just plain normal” and said he found the politician a “fine-looking’ fella”.
He added: “Call me anything, but don’t call me fat.”
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