Luisa Zissman has continued sharing bikini content amid her ongoing row over comments branding people who eat McDonald's as "gross lazy sloths." The Apprentice star, 39, posted a video to Instagram on Saturday showing herself in a brown bikini as she modelled handbags she had crocheted during a holiday in Portugal.
Zissman appeared in high spirits in the clip, confidently walking past the camera with her new creations while showing off her figure in the two-piece.
Last year, Zissman shared a bikini selfie on holiday that drew comments about her weight, with one user branding her "unhealthy and very malnourished." Following the criticism, she hit back at "skinny shamers," arguing that the NHS is being drained by obesity and saying: "Imagine I went round calling of you biscuit-eating, McDonald's-loving, lazy people fatties."
Podcast comments reignite the row
This week, the row resurfaced when Zissman doubled down on her comments about fast food on her LuAnna podcast. "I think if you eat McDonald's and fast food, that means you're lazy," she said. "I just feel like you're lazy and unhealthy and you're a sloth. I think badly about people that eat McDonald's, especially McDonald's breakfast, it's just gross."
Her co-host Anna Williamson pushed back, saying: "Sometimes though Lu, a little sausage McMuffin in the morning hits the spot." Zissman held firm, replying: "It doesn't hit the spot, it's rank. It can't hit the spot, that cannot fuel you effectively for your day ahead." The pair captioned the clip: "Sorry if you're eating your McFlurry."
Backlash in the comments
Zissman's opinion proved unpopular with McDonald's enthusiasts, who criticised her as "rude and judgmental" in the comments. One wrote: "You don't have to eat everything for fuel, you can eat food for pure enjoyment, this mindset is disordered." Another said: "I wish Luisa would try to get her point across in a less judgmental manner. She has such a superior attitude and is always so patronising."
Other commenters pointed to her wealth, with one writing: "Coming from a rich person who doesn't work all hours under the sun and can hire a private chef. Are people that have personal chefs, nannies and cleaners lazy too?" Another added: "It's so easy when you're talking from a place of privilege."
Despite being branded "privileged" for her views, Zissman did not address the backlash directly and instead continued posting swimsuit photos to social media.
Recent apology to daughter's school
This is not the first time Zissman has faced criticism from fans in recent weeks. Earlier this month she came under fire for saying she planned to skip her daughter's school play because she has a "s*** part" and it was "not worth her time."
Following the backlash, the podcast host publicly apologised to her daughter's school after learning that her daughter Indigo and all of her teachers had seen the comments. She said her nine-year-old later confronted her, asking: "Mummy did you say my play was s**t?"
Recalling the conversation on her podcast, Zissman said: "I want to issue a public apology. I didn't want to go and watch Indigo's show but I think my rant was probably a bit aggressive, some might say, in its tone." She said Indigo told her a friend's mother had seen the Instagram clip and shown it to the friend, who then told Indigo.
Zissman said Indigo told her she could not go back to the school, adding that it was fortunate the family was returning to Dubai because the teachers had all seen the clip. "I don't want to take it away from the teachers, that clearly do work so hard at these things and it's not your fault that you're dealing with below par talent but yeah I just wanted to say sorry to the school. I was very stressed!" Zissman said.
Zissman is married to businessman Andrew Collins, with whom she has two daughters, Esme, ten, and Clemmie, nine. She is also mother to Dixie, 16, from her first marriage to Oliver Zissman.
