This Morning has received almost 2,000 Ofcom complaints thanks to a recent weight loss segment.
On Friday 26 February, hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary welcomed doctor Michael Mosley onto the ITV show, who was promoting an 800-calorie daily diet.
Dr Mosley has previously been criticised by some for his TV programme Lose A Stone in 21 Days, but during his appearance on This Morning, he stood by his opinion that he is a "fan of rapid weight loss, if you do it properly".
He also claimed that studies have shown that consuming 800 to 1,000 calories a day can be "safe and effective".
However, many viewers tuning in at home were not impressed and described the segment as "irresponsible’ and ‘dangerous".
As well as that, Ofcom received 1,932 complaints about This Morning on the same day that Dr Mosley appeared on the show - but the regulatory body hasn’t specified what the complaints were about.
On the Ofcom website it states that "the number of complaints received is not an indication of how serious an issue is".
Many viewers took to Twitter on the day, with one person posting: "Beyond appalled that #ThisMorning are conveying a message that eating 800 calories a day is ok, a toddler needs more than that! An extremely damaging message."
Another viewer tweeted: "I’m completely shocked that #thismorning even featured that segment – so damaging for the people aiming to lose lockdown weight and this goon preaching a completely unsustainable lifestyle by eating 800-1k cals a day."
During the interview, This Morning host Alison couldn’t contain her laughter when Dr Mosley displayed a 300-calorie dinner that he had prepared, sarcastically stating: "I’m so excited to come round to yours Dr Mosley, I can’t wait."
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV1.
