Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid, 48, took aim at Gwyneth Paltrow and stated she should take accountability for the stories posted on her website about healthy eating and dieting. It comes after the Hollywood star was slammed for the website’s recommendation for readers to achieve their “leanest liveable weight” earlier this year.
Gwyneth is the front woman for lifestyle brand Goop and the site is known for advertising various health tips – from vaginal steaming, camel milk and bee sting facials.
The article in question – which was released in October – featured an interview with American psychologist Dr Traci Mann, who claimed people should aim to be at the lowest end of their genetically-determined healthy “set range”.
However, it was fiercely criticised at the time by a top British scientist, Dr Giles Yeo who argued it is sending out a “dangerous” message which champions “skinniness”.
Susanna echoed a similar sentiment in her column for the MailOnline, where she stated the actress’ response was “not good enough”.
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She wrote: “Gwyneth’s response is to say she doesn’t read everything on Goop. That’s not good enough. People with her profile and influence need to be aware that power and success comes with responsibility.
“You are accountable to people who look up to you, and if her website — which is reportedly worth millions — promotes advice that might be misinterpreted by those susceptible to eating disorders, that account-ability isn’t being upheld.”
The small-screen star added: “Gwyneth may claim she’s just as entitled as anyone else to share opinions online, but the truth is people buy into products endorsed by celebrities, so we have to be extra careful.”
The Good Morning Britain host was particularly concerned with the language used in the article, most notably “leanest liveable weight” which she argued could lead to “misinterpretation”.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Dr Giles Yeo, from Cambridge University, warned that advising people to be at the “low end” of a weight scale is “irresponsible”.
Susanna said: “But I read every word, and I agree with Dr Yeo: the language is wide open to misinterpretation — especially when it’s read by eager-to-be-thin Goop fans, who would do anything to have a figure like Gwyneth.
“It’s just the latest in a long line of bizarre and controversial endorsements by Goop for the likes of bee-sting facials, ‘moon dust’ smoothies and, most disturbingly, vaginal steaming — which left one woman with severe burns.”
The ITV favourite also revealed she had been at the centre of a diet scam where photographs of the broadcaster had been used to promote weight loss products.
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The mother-of-two added that celebrities have to be careful with the endorsements which they promote.
“That’s something I learned when I got caught in a diet scandal myself,” Susanna explained.
Earlier this year, she received a message form a social media user who complained they had not received diet pills which she was alleged to be promoting online.
Soon the broadcaster began to receive more messages from people who had claimed they had not received the product which Susanna was “advertising” unbeknownst to her.
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“I was furious and upset. I don’t credit diet pills for my weight loss. I would never flog any ‘weight-loss’ supplement,” the TV anchor said.
“It was all a con by scammers who’d used my photo. Still, I was devastated that people were out of pocket because of an ad falsely bearing my name.”
She finished: “I don’t have a secret weapon or a magic tablet [for weight loss]. And neither does Gwynnie.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV at 6.30am.
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