CAIRO: Popular Egyptian TV show host Riham Saeed is being investigated by the Egyptian media council after receiving complaints that she had made comments deemed insulting to overweight people.
It is claimed that Saeed, host of late-night show “Sabaya,” said overweight people were a bad image of society, adding that many of those who are obese were a “burden on their families and the state.”
The presenter is also accused of saying that overweight women lost their femininity over time and were less happy.
Her comments sparked outrage on social media, with users venting their anger and calling for a boycott of her show on the Al-Hayah Channel.
A hashtag bearing her name #ريهام_سعيد was created with calls for the channel to suspend the show and to sack Saeed.
But Saeed has defended herself on her official Instagram account saying she has been covering the issue of obesity on her show for years, asking why people were only reacting angrily now.
And fans of the host say she has always hosted overweight people on her show and helped them undergo corrective surgery to help with their weight issues.
