Bake Off star speaks out after backlash over ‘harmful message’ as charity demands apology

Great British Bake Off star Ravneet Gill has spoken out after backlash over her 'harmful message' as a charity demanded an apology from her.

The third episode of the Channel 4 programme marked Bread Week, with contestants challenged to create a signature bake of 12 savoury buns, a seven-strand plaited wreath technical and a showstopper cornucopia display.

However, the episode sparked a lot of controversy when it 'trivialised' coeliac disease.

On An Extra Slice, the Friday evening companion programme to the main show, presenters Tom Allen and Jo Brand discussed the ups and downs of Bread Week with guests Jonathan Ross, Ravneet Gill and Josh Pugh.

"I’ve never met a loaf I didn’t love," Ross said, while Pugh said he’d 'never met anyone who didn’t like bread'.

"Well I love bread, but my Mum’s coeliac so she shouldn’t eat bread," Gill explained. "But she still loves it, she still eats it."

Coeliac disease is a condition where your immune system attacks your own tissues when you eat gluten, in turn damaging your small intestine.

Of course, bread famously includes gluten, unless made with gluten-free ingredients.

After Gill’s remark, Brand joked: "Good for her," before Ross quipped: "And good for whoever cleans up after her."

The incident prompted, Coeliac UK to issue an open letter to the producers of the show, saying the comments featured on the show 'trivialise coeliac disease and send a harmful message to the public'.

Since then, Gill has spoken out and shared a video statement addressing the matter.

Taking to Instagram earlier this evening, Gill explained: "Hi everybody. I hope you're good. I wanted to come on here to address some comments I made on TV last week where I said that my mum is a coeliac and she eats bread.

"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, like for that, I hold my hands up, and that was really never my intention."

She continued: "For those of you that don't know me, I thought I'd provide a bit of context to like my work and what I do.

"When I was in my 20s, I worked in London's first gluten-free restaurant 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 in my Guardian column.

"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, that's me and I'm sorry about that."

Gill also assured: "My mum, also, by the way, is not offended or upset with me. Her, like, dietary choices have sometimes caused a bit friction between us, and I made humour of that, and I made light of it, and I should not have that.

"You know, 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."

She finished up: "I would just like to say that I am going to work really hard to try my best, to think a lot more carefully before I speak, especially on a TV show."