Former Miss Universe Alicia Machado claims Donald Trump body shamed and publicly humiliated her

'He called me miss piggy,' Machado says

Machado gained weight several months after winning and Mr Trump urged her to lose it, taking her to a gym where he invited the press to film her working out (Getty Images)

A Venezuelan actress and former Miss Universe winner claims Donald Trump body shamed and publicly embarrassed her on camera.

Alicia Machado, who became Miss Universe in 1996, said the then pageant owner and current presumptive Republican nominee bullied her about her weight. Mr Trump took over the Miss Universe pageant in 1996 and his wife, Marla Maples, was one of the hosts on the night Machado won the contest.

Machado gained weight several months after winning and 'Mr Trump urged her to lose it, taking her to a gym where members of the press filmed her working out'. Machado claims there were 90 media outlets watching her at the gym.

At the time, Mr Trump commented on her weight while presenting a show at the gym. “She weighed 118 pounds or 117 pounds and she went up to 160 or 170,” he said to the camera. “So this is somebody that likes to eat.”

The actress and television host has now spoken out about the ordeal in a video with Inside Edition. “He called me miss piggy and miss housekeeping…,” she claimed. “I was very depressed.”

Machado won the competition when she was just 19 years old. Speaking to The New York Times in an article titled 'Crossing the line: How Donald Trump behaved with women in private' last week, Machado said she experienced eating disorders and had therapy after the incident.

“After that episode, I was sick, anorexia and bulimia for five years,” she said. “Over the past 20 years, I’ve gone to a lot of psychologists to combat this.”

A representative for Mr Trump did not immediately respond to request for comment.