Zara McDermott has responded to the huge backlash over her weight loss post

Zara McDermott has responded to the backlash she has received after posting about her weight loss on Instagram.

Yesterday, the Love Island and Made In Chelsea star posted about how she has lost three stone in 18 months – after becoming “healthier” and “eating more veggies”. People have since accused her of promoting unhealthy body standards and “gross negligence” towards her “young and impressionable audience”.

Zara posted saying: “Can’t believe how far I’ve come!!! The first pic was a girl who never exercised and ate whatever she wanted. She wasn’t unhappy or insecure about her weight but she knew that she needed to start exercising. Eating more fruits and veggies and making changes in order to be healthier.”

The post didn’t go down well at all, with Zara being forced to respond after finding out she was trending on Twitter because of the amount of people talking about it. People accused her of neglecting her platform, making them hate themselves, promoting unhealthy standards and said “it’s not inspiring it’s sad”, adding it makes them “sick”.

Today Zara replied to all the comments. On Instagram, she said: “So I’ve just woken up to a few messages saying I am getting abuse online about my weight loss. I never actually saw any abuse because I don’t have Twitter – I think it’s the most vile and toxic place on the internet. But anyway, I’m trending on Twitter…

“So I just had a quick look and I just want to make something very clear. I think it is entirely unfair to call me ‘anorexic’. In my opinion it’s the same as calling someone morbidly obese. That’s a serious accusation of an eating disorder that I do not have.

“I understand that for anyone recovering from an ED, any post about weight loss could be triggering, but my journey has been done incredibly healthily. I have always been quite tall and naturally slim, when I was a teen I struggled to put on weight. I was eating a huge amount back in 2019, I’m talking probably 3,000 calories a day. I was a size 10, which is not an unhealthy weight at all. But for my body type, height and the fact I’ve always had a fast metabolism and always been naturally petite it was a huge change.

“However, everyone’s body types are different and I respect that. But I cannot be made to feel bad about my natural body type. I have naturally really long legs and a small waist. When I lost body fat, it accentuated that of course.

“I weigh a completely healthy BMI. I will not apologise for eating healthier, making wiser choices and exercising four times a week. It frustrates me because this has been a long journey for me, changing my relationship with food to a more positive one, being more mindful, finding motivation to exercise when at times I’ve wanted to give up. It has taken me 18 months to get to where I am now! That’s a long time! I haven’t dropped three stone over night! I’ve done it slowly and healthily.

“But it’s been a positive change for the better. I have so much more muscle now, I can lift heavy weights, I feel happier and healthier and most importantly I feel good on the inside which means I will live a longer and healthier life!”

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Friends of Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott have said they are back together

• Zara wrote Sam a ‘heartfelt apology letter’ after they split up – here it is in full

• So, who did Zara McDermott cheat on Sam Thompson with?