Paul Hollywood has been forced to apologise after he angered viewers when he made a joke about diabetes during an episode of the Great British Bake Off.
During Wednesday’s technical challenge, viewers were disappointed at the Great British Bake Off judge for comparing French dessert Gâteau St-Honoré to diabetes.
When presented with the epic dessert, he said it was ‘diabetes on a plate’.
Many claimed that Paul Hollywood was ‘uneducated’ about the condition, which is split into Type 1 and Type 2 categories. They believed Paul was reinforcing false beliefs that it was simply caused by too much sugar in the diet.
Type 1 diabetes can often develop in childhood, and is a result of the pancreas not producing any insulin. However, it can develop at any age, and is not a result of lifestyle choices.
Type 2 is where the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, or the body’s cells don’t react to it. It tends to develop later in life and is linked to lifestyle choices.
People took to Twitter to correct Paul on his inaccurate comment, with many urging the judge to understand the importance of language.
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One wrote, ‘I’m not normally one to feel offended by diabetes jokes, I see them as a way to educate people. But this is what #diabetesonaplate looks like, not the patisserie you see on #GBBO. We need to start focusing on how we talk about this condition because #languagematters’
Another added alongside a picture of her insulin medicine, ‘I like to call this bake ‘diabetes on a plate’. I’ve been tucking into it since I was 7 years old.’
A third said, ‘As someone who has suffered the hardships of TYPE ONE diabetes, and will live the rest of my life fighting a disease that I did not cause or eat my way into, I find ignorant comments like this appalling. Language matters.’
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Paul Hollywood has since headed to Instagram to apologise for his joke, writing, ‘A sweet treat, Chelsea buns ... a remark re:- diabetes I made on tonight’s show was thoughtless and I meant no harm, as both my grandad and my own mother suffer/ suffered from diabetes ... apologies X’
One fan responded to his apology, writing, ‘Thanks, Paul! I’m type 1 and a huge fan. Indulging in an occasional sweet treat like this is a bright spot in managing a chronic condition.’
