Piers Morgan has clashed with Malin Andersson over a body-positive Cosmopolitan cover which he declared was ‘glamourising obesity at the height of a pandemic’.
The Good Morning Britain host, 55, took umbrage with the latest issue of Cosmopolitan UK on Wednesday which featured a plus-size model doing yoga, with the caption: ‘this is healthy!’
He wrote: ‘No, it’s not. And given that obesity is a major factor in why many get severe covid illness, this @CosmopolitanUK cover is shamefully irresponsible.’
Butting heads: Piers Morgan has clashed with Malin Andersson over a body-positive Cosmopolitan cover which he declared was ‘glamourising obesity at the height of a pandemic’
Love Island’s Malin, 28, who has carved out a strong social media following as a body-confidence advocate, retweeted Piers’ post with the caption: ‘This is disgusting.’
Never one to back down Piers retorted: ‘Actually, what’s ‘disgusting’ is a big-selling magazine glamourising obesity at the height of a pandemic involving a virus that targets obese people more than any other weight-group.’
Being overweight can raise the risk of severe Covid-19 by 40 per cent, while obese people are 70 per cent more likely to be hospitalised with the disease, according to a July study.
Researchers analysed data from more than 300,000 people, 640 of whom ended up in hospital with the coronavirus at the peak of the pandemic.
Fury: The Good Morning Britain host, 55, took umbrage with the latest issue of Cosmopolitan UK on Wednesday which featured a plus-size model doing yoga, with the caption: ‘this is healthy!’
Curves: Malin, a body confidence advocate, quickly hit back at Piers over his tweet
They found extra weight is linked with ‘higher odds’ of admission to hospital, increasing in line with body mass index (BMI) – a height-to-weight ratio.
Being too thin also raised the risk compared to someone who was a healthy weight, but by a smaller margin of six per cent.
The team, led by University College London, sought to build on previous smaller-scale studies which first shone a light on the link between weight and Covid-19.
Concerns led to an investigation by Public Health England, which last month said it found overweight people are more than three times as likely to die of Covid-19 than those of a healthy weight.
No way: Love Island’s Malin, 28, who has carved out a strong social media following as a body-confidence advocate, retweeted Piers’ post with the caption: ‘This is disgusting’
The tweets come hours after Piers branded Lauren Goodger a ‘half wit’ and an ‘imbecile’ for saying she will not take the COVID-19 vaccine – despite ‘shoving filler in her lips.’
The reality star, 34, was condemned for her anti-vaxxer views on Tuesday, despite scientists saying vaccination is the best hope for beating COVID-19. She also claimed she ‘doesn’t believe’ in face masks and likened the virus to a cold.
Speaking on Wednesday’s Good Morning Britain, an incensed Piers questioned how Lauren could refuse the vaccine but inject herself with fillers – before imploring the public ‘not to listen to these imbeciles’.
He said: ‘Lauren Goodger, who I’m informed is a TOWIE babe, has gone public having a go about the Covid vaccine on the day we discovered a million people in this country have the virus and we’re obviously in a desperate situation.
Hitting back: The star accused the cover of ‘glamourising obesity’ as he responded to Malin
‘She said she’s terrified of the vaccine and has already had Covid and didn’t die, so obviously it’s not a problem.
‘She said I don’t like taking medicine or antibiotics. Lauren said: “I’m more scared of the vaccine than I am the virus”… really?’
‘She said: “I don’t like taking medicine, I won’t take antibiotics but I do do aesthetics”… what?’
‘Here’s a picture of Lauren Goodger. What do you think she’s been shoving in her face?
‘Where does that come from, Lauren? What have you been injecting into those lips? Did you check where it came from or check what it is?
Taking aim: Piers branded Lauren Goodger a ‘half wit’ and an ‘imbecile’ for saying she will not take the COVID -19 vaccine on Tuesday – despite ‘shoving filler in her lips’
Criticised: The reality star, 34, was condemned for her anti-vaxxer viewers on Tuesday, despite scientists saying people being vaccinated is the best hope for ending lockdown and beating Covid
‘These people are absolute half-wits. They’re quarter-wits. They are getting attention on social media. They are already giving their views to millions of impressionable people and they’re not getting challenged.
‘My point is these reality stars are stuffing their faces with plastic fillings, surgery and injections and so on and then banging on about vaccines.
‘It’s ridiculous. Do not listen to these imbeciles. It will cost lives.
It’s got to stop. They are wielding a really unhealthy noise to this debate which will deter young people from taking this serious.
‘I look at her face. She has put loads of stuff in those lips. She could probably afford to take a risk with a vaccine, which has been approved.’
Piers fumed: ‘Here’s a picture of Lauren Goodger. What do you think she’s been shoving in her face? ‘Where does that come from, Lauren? What have you been injecting into those lips?’
His co-host Susanna Reid added: ‘Let’s not give them a platform.’
Vaccinating the population is crucial to ending the coronavirus pandemic because inoculated people will not become ill or die from the virus, reducing the strain on the health service and allowing social distancing restrictions to be lifted.
It is also hoped that the vaccines will stop inoculated people from the transmitting the virus, but this as not been proven yet.
Both the Pfizer vaccine and the Oxford vaccine have been ruled safe by UK regulators after tens of thousands of people took part in clinical trials, more than a hundred thousand across both injections, without any ill effects.
It comes just a day after the Prime Minister Boris Johnson plunged the country into a third lockdown in a desperate attempt to control the new mutant coronavirus.
Following Lauren’s comments, social media users slammed the reality star, who has been open about her use of filler and botox, for making the claims.
He added: ‘My point is these reality stars are stuffing their faces with plastic fillings, surgery and injections and so on and then banging on about vaccines. It’s ridiculous. Do not listen to these imbeciles. It will cost lives’