Lorna Jane Clarkson opens up on 60 Minutes

ACTIVEWEAR queen Lorna Jane Clarkson tried to repair her damaged public image on 60 Minutes last night. But viewers were distracted by her fridge.

IT’S been a rough year for Lorna Jane Clarkson, the founder of popular Aussie activewear label Lorna Jane.

She’s currently fighting a $548,000 lawsuit against a former employee who claims she was “fat shamed”, bullied and harassed by Lorna Jane staff.

In July, the brand was criticised for running a job ad for a combined “Receptionist/Fit Model”, which included physical measurement requirements for potential applicants.

And earlier this month, a Gold Coast woman says she was tricked into handing over photos of herself to a man who claimed to be a representative from Lorna Jane.

On 60 Minutes last night, Clarkson tried to turn things around with a segment explaining how she and husband Bill Charkson have built the company into a multi-million dollar brand. The couple reportedly knocked back a recent $500 million offer to buy their business.

Clarkson opened up her kitchen to the Channel 9 cameras and made 60 Minutes reporter Ally Langdon a green smoothie. But viewers soon became distracted by Clarkson’s Tupperware-laden fridge.

The shelves were lined with labelled and dated containers, filled with ingredients such as rocket, spinach, kale, roasted eggplant, quinoa, smoked salmon and adauki beans. The shelf inside the fridge door was stocked with juices labelled “beauty”, “energy” and “immune”.

Picture: 60 Minutes.

Picture: 60 Minutes.

Picture: 60 Minutes.

Some viewers loved Clarkson’s organisational skills, while others thought it was a little over-the-top.

Loving Lorna Jane's fridge #60Mins

— Georgia Cassimatis (@GeorgiaCassi) November 1, 2015

Did anyone else just see Lorna Jane's fridge and go OMG too?!?!?

— Tahlia Mandie (@tahliamandie) November 1, 2015

No way that Lorna Jane's fridge actually looks like that normally #60Mins

— Rebecca (@fakedelight) November 1, 2015

“Her fridge makes my OCD happy,” wrote one user on the 60 Minutes Facebook page. Another wrote: “I wonder if she actually labelled all those containers, or if a private cook, or chef prepared their fridge prior to this interview?”

Nutrition Australia’s dietitian Elizabeth Borgo said thinking ahead is key to maintaining a healthy diet.

“It was great to see that [Clarkson] is really prepared with fresh, healthy food. If you do have those ingredients ready to go, it means you can make healthier choices. But it’s not realistic for everybody though,” she told news.com.au.

Ms Borgo said food hygiene is also a big concern.

“Some ingredients don’t really last well in the fridge. Rice, couscous, pasta and quinoa only last for 24-48 hours after they’ve been cooked. Anything with a high water content or with a lot of protein will go off quickly.”

This isn’t the first time Clarkson has opened her fridge up to the public. A March article on the Lorna Jane website titled ‘5 Things You Will Find in Lorna Jane Clarkson’s Fridge’ reveals Clarkson always keeps coconut and bee pollen bites, homemade broths, homemade pesto, homemade kombucha and “inner beauty powder” in her kitchen.

Lorna Jane Clarkson. Picture: Croser.

During the 60 Minutes segment, Ally Langdon quizzed Clarkson about some of the negative publicity her brand has recently received.

“The ad for the receptionist fit model — was that a brain explosion on your behalf?” Langdon asked.

“Well, in hindsight would I wish we’d written it differently? Absolutely,” Clarkson replied.

“I just think it was … we’re an activewear company. They misconstrued the word ‘fit’ for being physically fit and not actually a ‘fitting’ model. And fit doesn’t mean skinny.”

When asked if there is there a culture of bullying at Lorna Jane, Clarkson said: “Absolutely not.”

She refutes the claims made in the $548,000 lawsuit by former employee Amy Robinson.

“It’s not true. And the truth will come through. And, you know, if there was [any harassment] I would put a stop to it. I would do the right thing. When you build a brand that is so much about you and who you are as a person, it hurts,” she said.

“I’m so positive and I think that … This is not me, but right now with the things the press are saying about me and my brand, this is how I feel.

Clarkson continued: “I just know what the stats are. Two in three Australians are overweight or obese. Over 50% of Australians don’t do any formal exercise, and I think that’s just crazy.

“I just think it’s not OK that we’re getting fatter and fatter as a nation. Not because of how we look or what dress size we are, but because we’re dying,” she said.

Have you got an OCD kitchen situation? Send us a photo at [e-mail] or tweet @beck_sullivan