DERRY GIRLS star Nicola Coughlan has hit back at a podcast host after she referred to the Irish actress as “the fat girl” on Twitter.
Coughlan, who has been back in the headlines of late after starring in the hit Netflix series Bridgerton, found herself facing criticism on social media over her choice of attire for her “virtual attendance” at the Golden Globes.
Amanda Richards, who hosts the Big Calf Podcast, tweeted: “The fat girl from Bridgerton is wearing a black cardigan at the Golden Globes, because no matter how hot and stylish you are, if you’re a fat girl there will always be a black cardigan you think about wearing, then decide against, but ultimately wear because you feel like you have to.”
Coughlan fired back at Richards, tweeting: “I thought the cardigan looked ace, Molly Goddard used them on her runway with the dresses that’s where the idea came from, also I have a name.”
"Good for you! you looked fab! and I love a black cardigan any day," one wrote.
Another added: "Just popped in to tell you how gorgeous you are. I'm sorry you have to read such drivel about yourself. You looked amazing."
Richards later responded to one fan defending Coughlan’s outfit, writing: “Agree, her style is killer and it was a choice! She replied and said so, and correctly called me out for not using her name.
“I definitely projected my own feelings about the requisite fat girl cover up cardigan onto that look."
Though Richards defended her choice of the word “fat” insisting it was merely used as a “descriptor” she later took to Twitter to reveal she had been inundated with abusive messages following the original tweet.
Richards told her followers: "People scolding me, a fat person, for using the word fat as a descriptor while simultaneously calling me a c***, a b***h, a s**t stain, and a t**t... you simply love to see it."
(Picture: Channel 4/YouTube)She later posted a screenshot of the tweet on Instagram naming Nicola but stating “being a fat girl who's into fashion is a cursed existence".
The podcaster eventually decided to delete the post, explaining on her Instagram Story: “I deleted the post about the tweet about the cardigan because the comments got out of hand. Will never delete on Twitter 'cause I don’t believe in that s**t and that’s where it came from originally”.
In the meantime, Coughlan used the fallout from the incident to call on journalists to "judge actors for their work and not their bodies" and "stop asking women about their weight in interviews".
The Irish actress said being asked about her own body made her "deeply uncomfortable", adding: "It's 2021, it would be nice if we didn't have to keep having this conversation."
