YouTuber Zoella apologises for old offensive tweets

The vlogger, whose real name is Zoe Sugg, also claims a lot the statements were taken out of context as they were referring to TV shows like the X Factor and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

Two tweets, saying: “I find it funny when gay men spit… it’s like they’re trying to be a bit macho,” and “How many straight men do you know, who whip out a compact mirror to do their hair before an abseil,” have been criticised by Twitter users for being homophobic.

Others, saying “Who do these parents insist on beefing up their obese children, just give them water and some veg and tell them that’s all they’re getting,” and phrases “fat chav” and “close up of a fatty eating a big mac” have also been seen as fat shaming by some fans.

Ashleigh Hamman tweeted: “Absolutely disgusting Zoella calling people fat. Especially when she claims to get upset when people would call her ‘skinny’ in the past. How hypocritical can you get.”

Zoella has already come under fire in the last week for her 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar, which has been reduced by retailer Boots from £50 to £25 after being criticised for being bad value for money by customers.

Some said the emergence of these old tweets is a response to the criticism of the Advent Calendar.