Former Made In Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh has spoken out in defence of a controversial selfie that sparked a major backlash on Twitter.
The make-up artist regularly posts revealing photos of her impressive physique to her Twitter account but ran into trouble after husband Professor Green commented on a bikini pic using the ‘thinspiration’ hashtag.
The term is frequently used by websites promoting eating disorders and while the 23-year-old quickly responded using the word ‘fitspiration’, the move has been met with anger by charities who branded her actions “irresponsible”.
Mackintosh has since appeared on ITV’s Loose Women to defend the photo and also released a statement on her website, saying that she always promotes a healthy lifestyle.
“I am passionate about eating healthy and keeping fit. What people don’t realise is that I actually LOVE food and eat about six times a day! I just work out and dedicate time each day to keep fit – it’s part of my job and I enjoy exercising and keeping fit as much as I love food!
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle makes me feel better about myself and I have to intention in promoting others diet or the need to be thin. I understand I am a role model to young girls and I do want to put out the correct message. Bulimia and anorexia are both unfortunate illnesses and starving yourself is not the way forward and could lead to an unhealthy and dangerous situation. I guess the main message that I want to send out is that you should be proud of your body! Stay strong and stay healthy!”