'Heat' sorry for ridiculing Jordan's disabled son

The celebrity gossip magazine Heat was forced to publish an embarrassing apology on its website yesterday after a row with the former glamour model Katie Price over a sticker the magazine printed which poked fun at her disabled son, Harvey.

Heat gave away 50 stickers in this week's issue, one of which showed a photo of Ms Price's son next to the words "Harvey wants to eat me!" The five-year-old was born with a rare genetic disorder which causes him to gain weight and the sticker has led to a public outcry.

The Emap-owned magazine received a number of emails from readers who thought some of the stickers were insensitive. The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) said it had received 56 complaints.

Other stickers in the issue included one showing the singer Will Young with an elongated comedy chin, Britney Spears next to the headline "Mum of the year," and a picture of Victoria Beckham asking "Will you fucking smile?"

Harvey has septo-optic dysplasia, a condition which means he is visually impaired and has hormonal deficiencies, which can cause sufferers to put on extra weight.

His mother, who is married to the former pop singer Peter Andre, regularly gives celebrity magazine interviews about looking after a child with disabilities.

A spokesperson for Ms Price, also known as Jordan, confirmed that she had complained to the PCC about the sticker, which her lawyers believe may have broken clauses 6 and 12 of the PCC code of practice.

Clause 12 states: "The press must avoid prejudicial or pejorative reference to an individual's race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or to any physical or mental illness or disability", while clause 6 is supposed to protect children specifically.

Since Tuesday, when this week's issue of Heat was released, online blogs and parent forums have been inundated with comments from readers expressing their profound disapproval of the sticker.

One mother, writing on RaisingKids.co.uk, wrote: "Even I know that Katie Price's son has medical issues, so I would have thought that any editor of these 'in-the-know' magazines would know, too. Never ceases to amaze me what passes as newsworthy these days!" Another wrote: "The Harvey [sticker] is by far the worst but others are pretty distasteful, too. Heat used to be a fun magazine with great celebrity interviews that I trusted."

Liz Sayce, the chief executive of the disability rights group Radar, said of the story: "Unfortunately, bullying of disabled people, especially children, is endemic. Mocking people in print because they are different gives strength to the bullies and entrenches prejudice. Heat magazine should know better."

In an attempt to ward off further criticism, Heat prominently displayed a posting on its website yesterday under the title "Harvey Sorry".

The apology read: "We now accept the decision to include this sticker was a mistake and we recognise that it has caused offence, not only to Katie and Peter Andre, but to a number of readers. Immediately following publication, we apologised unreservedly to Katie and Peter. We wish to apologise publicly to Harvey, Katie and Peter for any embarrassment and distress caused."