Daisy May Cooper has revealed that cruel online comments following her 10-stone weight loss left her worried about the impact on her acting career.
In an interview with The Independent, the actress opened up about being criticised for wanting to improve her health.
Some of the most upsetting messages claimed her comedy had suffered because of her changing appearance. Daisy admitted the comments made her fear casting directors might no longer consider her for certain roles.
She questioned whether she would still be seen as someone who could play a larger, funny character.
“That made me really panic actually. I thought, ‘[Bleep]. Is that going to affect me casting-wise?’ Will I be scratched off people’s lists when they go, ‘She can’t be the funny big one’? It’s so mad that as women we even have to think about that,” she said.
Daisy May Cooper quits using her phone after weight loss backlash
The abuse became so upsetting that Daisy decided to stop owning a phone altogether. Her personal assistant now runs her Instagram account.
“People are so [bleep]ing horrible and mean and say such horrible things, I just can’t even go near it [her phone],” she said.
Her dramatic transformation also presented an unexpected challenge when filming Am I Being Unreasonable?
During an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, Daisy explained that the second series was supposed to pick up immediately after the first.
Just 30 seconds pass between the two storylines. However, Daisy had lost around 10 stone and had lip filler between filming the series.
After watching the rushes, she said she asked the BBC to include a disclaimer explaining the change in her appearance and asking viewers not to judge her lips.
Daisy May Cooper opens up about her health
Daisy, 40, went from a size 24 to a size 10 after following the very low-carbohydrate Keto diet.
Before losing the weight, she said she had suffered chest pains and found herself struggling to breathe when climbing the stairs.
Despite her results, however, the actress has stressed that she would not recommend the diet to others.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, she revealed that she had developed kidney stones while following a diet largely made up of meat and cheese.
“The pressure on women to lose weight – at any cost – it’s insane. It’s horrendous,” she said.
Daisy also discussed body positivity on the BBC podcast How To Be In The Spotlight. She admitted she had been unhappy at her heaviest and had struggled with food addiction.
“I think everybody should be happy with their body. But I wasn’t,” she admitted.
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