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Fitness Expert Sparks Debate After Saying She Wouldn't Work With Overweight People

Fitness Expert Sparks Debate After Saying She Wouldn't Work With Overweight People

She appeared on This Morning where she claimed overweight people were 'more lethargic and more lazy'

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

A fitness expert has whipped up some controversy after she said she wouldn't work with overweight people.

Samantha Yardley, who works as a writer and editor within the fitness industry, appeared on This Morning where she told Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford that while she didn't want to 'encourage judgement' towards people who were overweight, it was something that needed to be said.

She said: "We all take the path of least resistance - we need to make it more inconvenient to be obese."

ITV/This Morning

Samantha went on to say that she doesn't think plus-sized clothes should be readily available in shops, prompting Eamonn to slam the idea as 'incredibly cruel'.

The 34-year-old went on to say that hiring overweight people was not a good business move.

She said: "Look at the facts. People who are obese take off nearly twice as many days off work than those people within a healthy weight range for a start.

"That's going to have a financial implication. And, also from personal experience, from being larger, you are more lethargic and more lazy."

When Eamonn and Ruth questioned her about the struggles some people might face while trying to lose weight, including those who are living with an illness.

She replied: "You don't need to have six-pack abs or work out every day. It's a lifestyle choice, you need to eat a little bit less, work out a little bit more. It's just a calorie deficit you need to implement and that will cause a physical change."

As you can imagine, her comments caused a bit of stir online, with one viewer posting on Twitter to say: "Well Samantha Yardley I'd rather work with a fat nice person than have a judgemental b**** of a boss."

ITV/This Morning

Another questioned: "Could you ask Samantha Yardley if she would refuse an overweight doctor saving her life? Or would she refuse an overweight surgeon carrying out a lifesaving operation on her? Just curious."

Someone else added: "Samantha Yardley doesn't care about people's health and well-being. Laughing her way through the interview calling overweight people lazy and saying she would refuse to work with them. Spiteful. Thank God for people like Joe Wicks who don't discriminate."

Featured Image Credit: ITV/This Morning

Topics: TV and Film