By John Ensor • Updated: 20 Dec 2023 • 16:26
Vanessa Feltz apologises for upsetting coeliacs. Credit: vanessafeltzofficial/Instagram.com
ITV’s ‘This Morning’ is currently in hot water after receiving over 1,000 Ofcom complaints following controversial comments made by Vanessa Feltz regarding coeliac disease.
On December 18, Feltz appeared on the show, responding to viewer queries about social etiquette. The situation escalated when a caller, Alison, expressed concerns about being obliged to have a gluten-free Christmas dinner because of another guest’s medical condition.
Feltz openly disagreed with the idea of all guests conforming to the dietary restrictions of one individual with coeliac disease. She asserted, ‘Alison, I’m 100 per cent on your side on this one, this is absolutely ridiculous.’
Feltz’s comments sparked fury among some viewers: ‘She’s treating coeliac disease as if it’s a kind of fatal, potentially fatal peanut allergy and that they can’t have anything with gluten in the house, which is completely unreasonable.’
The debate quickly ignited backlash from viewers and Coeliac UK, who took the led in condemning Feltz’s ‘dismissive’ stance: ‘Today on ITV’s @thismorning, coeliac disease was discussed during a phone in segment on the show.
‘We are deeply concerned about the content and advice given to a caller attending a Christmas family event where all of the food will be gluten free to protect the health of a person with coeliac disease.
Coeliac UK then posted an open letter intended for ITV and added: ‘In the meantime we ask you to contact This Morning to ask them to give an apology to our gluten free community on air for this damaging and inaccurate information, and to engage with Coeliac UK to ensure their information is accurate in future.’
This was followed by various posts from members of the public: ‘@thismorning should have had a GP involved in the conversation and not some over opinionated madam like Vanessa ‘Clueless’ Feltz.’
Another posted: ‘Whilst I agree to your point about severity @Coeliac_UK; I strongly disagree with your comparator of a peanut allergy. I have 1 friend who has coeliac disease and 1 with a severe peanut allergy and has to carry an epi pen. Both are serious, not a great comparison.’
However, another person wrote: ‘I’m sorry I don’t get it, what has she said that’s wrong I have a daughter coeliac and another who has a nut allergy. The nut allergy is potentially fatal. Why can’t one meal be made gluten free? That’s what I have done for 10 years.’
In response, Feltz issued an apology on Instagram, stating she never intended disrespect towards individuals with coeliac disease.
She expressed regret over the reaction and her desire to resolve any upset caused, ‘I am astounded by the reaction and horrified that anyone is upset. I don’t think that I said anything wrong but if anyone is upset that I am very sorry.’
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Originally from Doncaster, Yorkshire, John now lives in Galicia, Northern Spain with his wife Nina. He is passionate about news, music, cycling and animals.
Coeliac disease, CD, is poorly understood, many believing it to be an allergy, hence the comparison to a peanut allergy. However, ingesting even trace amounts of gluten can cause the lining of the intestines to die. Recently research has shown that a high proportion of people with CD have an increased risk of colorectal cancer and other intestinal cancers, even pancreatic cancer. It is thought that many deaths caused by these cancers are linked to undiagnosed CD. Because it is a chronic disease one must avoid all traces of gluten, which includes not sharing a kitchen where gluten is cooked or prepared, or at the very least, utensils must not be shared. For an item to be declared as gluten-free, it must be prepared in a factory which itself is completely free of gluten. This is why even products that naturally do not contain it, but are packaged in a place where wheat flour is handled, have warnings on the label: may contain traces of gluten! The lady who prepared one meal which is gluten-free could be putting her daughter at risk of developing cancer in later life.
if you cannot eat a NORMAL XMAS dinner, do’nt go.
Simple.
Why spoil it for everyone else because your lifestyle choices has destroyed your bodies systems.
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