Dating site bans 'festive fatties'

More than 5,000 people who admitted to piling on the pounds over Christmas and New Year were expelled from an online dating community.

The "festive fatties" were kicked off BeautifulPeople.com for losing their looks over the holiday season. The website, which has a strict ban on "ugly people", said most of the "former beauties" expelled were from the US, Britain and Canada.

According to BeautifulPeople.com, "vigilant members" called for drastic action after users posted photos of themselves celebrating Christmas and the New Year - revealing they had "let themselves go".

Managing director Greg Hodge said: "We responded to complaints by moving the newly chubby members back to the rating stage. This is the same as having them re-apply.

"Their re-applications were reviewed by existing members and only a few hundred were voted back in. Over 5,000 were rejected."

Robert Hintze, founder of BeautifulPeople.com, said: "As a business, we mourn the loss of any member, but the fact remains that our members demand the high standard of beauty be upheld.

"Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat to our business model and the very concept for which BeautifulPeople.com was founded."

According to the site, managers have been kind in breaking the news to former members.

Each is said to have received an email encouraging them to re-apply when they are back to looking their best. They have also been sent details of recommended boot camps.

Potential applicants have to pass a rating process before they are accepted on to the site by existing members.