Stacey Dooley has responded to critics of her upcoming BBC Three series Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star.
The show will see Dooley, along with two judges – established makeup artists Dominic Skinner and Val Garland – attempt to find the next big name in the UK’s makeup industry.
Dooley, who won Strictly Come Dancing 2018, has been accused of “selling out”, having previously made a name for herself by presenting gritty documentaries and doing investigative journalism.
“It’s painfully predictable: there are always people who are desperate to put you in your one camp and never let you leave,” she told the Mail Online.
“The idea that you could be interested in the Yazidi community and also in lipstick blows people’s minds. It’s a really short-sighted Stone Age attitude; it’s boring, actually.”
Speaking about one of her reports to Mosul, Iraq, Dooley said: “I was getting out of the car and I could smell death; there were dead bodies on the ground and you had to walk relatively close to them because there were unexploded IEDs [improvised explosive devices] everywhere so you could only go in certain areas.
“But after all that, it seemed really important to be at home and enjoy some escapism. Anyway, I’ve earned my stripes; I don’t need to prove myself to anyone.”
Dooley has recently caused controversy by appearing in a charity video for Comic Relief. She has been accused of perpetrating a “white saviour” narrative.
