Ant Middleton is facing an Ofcom investigation after outraged viewers complained about his treatment of Anthea Turner.
The ex-soldier, who at 39 is only 20 years younger than Anthea, made cruel quips about her being a 'grandma' as she struggled through the gruelling tasks on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
The TV watchdog is now looking to see if the 16 complaints it received warrants a full investigation.
Anthea's fellow TV presenter Anna Richardson slammed Ant's behaviour as "ageist and sexist" during an episode in which he repeatedly and cruelly brought up her age.
"Good to see a bit of good 'ol fashioned ageism & sexism there lads with the 'grandma' references," she tweeted.
Andrea herself brushed off Ant's jibes while thanking fans for their support, telling Hello magazine: "Well, I think that's very kind of them but I absolutely don't hold it against him whatsoever.
"I do completely understand why they do that," she went on, adding: "Oh it will be lovely to be a grandma one of these days."
Other viewers pointed out the 'double standards' at work on the show, given that John Fashanu - who does have grandchildren - wasn't being subjected to the same comments.
"FYI, 59-year-old Anthea has no grandchildren. However, 56-year-old John Fashanu does. You can therefore refer to him as GRANDPA, you misogynistic t***," tweeted one.
Anthea pulled out of the line-up after going through several debilitating tasks, including a 5K run while wearing a heavy backpack, being exposed to a gun and jumping out of a helicopter backwards.
But the savage training became too much for her and she quit at the end of one episode by handing in her armband.
She wasn't the only contestant to call it quits - Katie Price also threw in the towel after claiming her recent breast surgery scars were getting inflamed.
