Lily Allen responds to body-shaming critics on social media

‘You’ve never seen me two years completely sober, not smoking and exercising every day’

Lily Allen has responded to a number of body-shaming critics online.

On her Instagram account, the singer shared a video of herself appearing on the The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan last week (Saturday 24 July). Soon after, fans started to comment about their “concerns” for Allen, with several fans saying she looked “too thin”.

Allen responded to the comments, telling one: “You’ve never seen me two years completely sober, not smoking and exercising every day”.

Replying to another, Allen added: “Seriously, where do you get off? You know NOTHING about me or my lifestyle. How dare you.” Comments on the post appear to have been switched off, but BuzzFeed published screenshots.

Back in 2018, Allen spoke to Cosmopolitan about dealing with an eating disorder around the release of her second album, It’s Not Me, It’s You.

Allen told the publication: "I was gearing up to do promo for the second album. That’s when I started not eating, when I started thinking about having to do photo shoots and red carpets."

Allen added that when she “was feeling really bad” everything she ate “would come back up”.

Meanwhile, Allen will make her West End theatre debut in a supernatural thriller next month (3 August).

The singer will star in 2:22 – a Ghost Story, a new play by Danny Robins. His previous credits include the docudrama horror podcast The Battersea Poltergeist.

Speaking about the show, Allen called it “frightening”, adding: “The live performance aspect of my career has always been the most thrilling part for me, connecting with a group of individuals and the spontaneity of whatever happens on the night. I feel that stepping into this play is an exciting natural extension of that and affords me the best of all worlds.”

For anyone struggling with the issues raised in this piece, eating disorder charity Beat’s helpline is available 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677.

NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. Visit eating-disorders.org.uk or call 0845 838 2040.

In the US, you can call or text the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) at (800) 931-2237, or chat online.