Michelle Bridges slams her critics and challenges TV networks to air great weight debate

MICHELLE Bridges has hit back at fat-shaming accusations, standing by her controversial claim that she is “yet to meet someone who is morbidly obese and happy.”

IF Michelle Bridges’ critics were counting on a back down by the tough-talking fitness trainer, who caused outrage last week by claiming she’s “yet to meet an obese person who is happy” - well, fat chance.

The Biggest Loser coach responded furiously to claims she was fat-shaming overweight people when she made her controversial comments in an episode of ABC’s Australian Story.

The 45-year-old, who has built a $53 million fortune as a personal trainer and TV personality, told the program: “it might be seen that I have this agenda on people who are overweight or people who are deemed fat. Honestly, if you are happy where you are, more power to you. But I can tell you, I’m yet to meet someone who is morbidly obese and happy.”

Her Channel 10 stablemates and radio hosts, Chrissie Swan and Meshel Laurie lead the chorus of complaints challenging Bridges; while former Biggest Loser host Ajay Rochester painted her bottom and posted the image to Instagram with a message that read: “Michelle Bridges can kiss my happy fat ass.”

Rochester went further on her personal blog, alleging the “self-hating” Bridges had often made cruel remarks about the yoyo dieter’s weight, was “fat-phobic” and had cashed in on people with low self-esteem.

But a fired up Bridges told News Corp Australia, she stood by her inflammatory comments in the context they were made, with her most withering response saved for Rochester.

“I don’t even talk about that person, whatever,” she sniffed, dismissing her former co-star’s claims in their entirety.

Michelle Bridges says she won’t back away from her controversial comments made on ABC’s Australian Story. Picture: Chris Pavlich

Putting her comments in context, Bridges defended herself, stating: “there was a sentence before the one everyone has grabbed onto where I said, “if you’re happy, more power to you. I’ve got no issue with that.”

A passionate Bridges, almost shouting, said: “this is not a conversation that is directed to one person, so I’m not interested in having an argument with someone who wants to make it their beef...this is about a much bigger and much more important issue...this is about our community at large.”

She continued: “I’m bringing this up because I want to talk about an entire community, because it’s something we’re not talking about and it’s something we’re not addressing. It needs to be in the context of the health of our nation.”

So serious is Bridges about the topic she said: “not only do I stand by what I said, I would love to put it out there to any (TV) network who was ballsy enough to do it, to have an open forum, to have a debate where we have a panel of experts who sit on both sides of the fence. Where we have an audience, where people get a chance to say their story and ask questions. This is about our community, it isn’t about one person.”

Radio hosts Chrissie Swan and Meshel Laurie lead the chorus of complaints challenging Bridges on her comments. Picture: Jason Edwards

Responding to her challenge, Sky News boss Angelos Frangopoulos, jumped at the chance to host a ‘great weight debate,’’ telling News Corp: “we’d be delighted to host this in a special live forum edition of Paul Murray LIVE, post Federal Election.”

Bridges claimed previous attempts at the debate had descended into childish name-calling and ignored the real statistics about Australia’s obesity crisis.

“Let’s get mature and start talking about the health of our nation, about the health of our next generation, our children,” the new mum said.

Any suggestion the best-selling author and online fitness guru, who also writes a weekly health column in News Corp’s Body And Soul liftout, had profited from the poor health of others drew the most ire from Bridges, who said she was about empowering not exploiting people.

“Just ask anyone that I’ve worked with and just look at my career. Look at what I’ve been trying to achieve for the last 30-odd years. This isn’t about tearing people down, this is about picking them up. This about helping them fight the fight, giving people the tools to take back control in their life. It’s not about name-calling or tearing people down or working on their insecurities. Anybody who says that hasn’t really done their research on what it is I do.”

She said to some degree the ferocity of the backlash to her comments came from denial, accusing those who had made personal attacks on her parenting skills and newborn son Axel of “muddying the waters.”

“We all need to get to the bottom of why we are in the situation we’re in and I’ve always been of the opinion, in order to move forward from where you are, you first of all have to accept it. And I don’t write the statistics, the statistics are there. The research is there. We have to take the emotion out of the debate, be the mature adult in this situation and ask ourselves what we are going to do for each other and for our own health.”

The new mum, pictured with newborn son Axel, said those who attacked her parenting skills were “muddying the waters” of the great weight debate. Picture: Instagram

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