Bake Off Extra Slice hit by Ofcom complaints after star apologises for ‘misinformation’ that sparked fan fury
CHANNEL 4’s The Great British Bake Off: Extra Slice has found itself at the centre of some controversy after a remark made by Junior Bake Off judge Ravneet Gill stirred outrage among viewers.
The lighthearted spin-off show was hit with a slew of complaints to Ofcom after the incident.
Ravneet appeared on the show last Thursday alongside host Jo Brand and fellow guests Jonathan Ross and Josh Pugh.
While chatting about the challenges of Bread Week, the pastry chef mentioned: “Well, I love bread, but my mum’s coeliac so she shouldn’t eat bread, but she still loves it, she still eats it.”
The seemingly offhand comment quickly sparked backlash for its potential to spread harmful misinformation about coeliac disease – an autoimmune condition requiring a strict gluten-free diet.
56 viewers complained to the broadcasting watchdog about the episode on October 10.
In addition to audience members watching the show at home, Coeliac UK took issue with the remark.
The charity’s CEO, Hilary Croft, penned an open letter to the show’s producers accusing Ravneet of “trivialising” the disease.
In her letter Hilary emphasised the severity of the condition, noting that mismanagement of coeliac disease can lead to severe health risks including chronic pain, infertility issues, and an increased risk of bowel cancer.
Ravneet has since penned an apology on Instagram, saying: “I want to make it really clear that my intention was not in any way to cause any misinformation about the severity of coeliac disease or to downplay it at all.
“For that, I hold my hands up and that was really never my intention.”
She added: “For those of you that don’t know me, I thought I’d provide a bit of context to my work and what I do.
“When I was in my 20s, I worked in London’s first gluten-free restaurant, long before platforms like YouTube and Instagram were as big, and I spent a lot of time educating myself.
“I also have spent the last year writing a lot more gluten free recipes for the community, and that’s because I get asked about them a lot.
“I just want to circle back and let you know that I didn’t intend for those comments to cause harm, and the fact that they did really upset me, and I’m sorry about that.”
She insisted that her mum isn’t upset, and that “in a fast-moving panel show, sometimes it’s hard and you can’t get your words out, and I should have provided more context”.
What is coeliac disease and what are the main symptoms?
COELIAC disease is an autoimmune condition that affects one in 100 people in the UK - though many remain undiagnosed.
When someone who has it eats gluten, their immune system attacks their own tissues, which damages their gut.
The symptoms vary from person to person and can range from very mild to severe.
But the most common signs include:
- Severe or occasional diarrhoea, excessive wind and/or constipation
- Persistent or unexplained nausea and vomiting
- Recurrent stomach pain, cramping or bloating
- Any combination of iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency
- Anaemia
- Tiredness
- Sudden or unexpected weight loss
- Mouth ulcers
- Skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis)
- Tooth enamel problems
- Liver abnormalities
- Unexplained subfertility
- Repeated miscarriages
- Neurological (nerve) problems such as ataxia (loss of coordination, poor balance) and peripheral neuropathy (numbness and tingling in the hands and feet)
There is no cure. The only way to manage coeliac disease is with a strict gluten free diet.
This means eating no wheat, rye, barley and oats.
Potential long-term complications include osteoporosis, iron deficiency anaemia, vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia, bowel cancer and fertility issues.
Source: Coeliac UK and NHS