Good Morning Britain viewers have criticised Noel Edmonds for a “rude” joke he made about Ed Balls’s weight.
The former Deal or No Deal presenter appeared on the ITV breakfast show, where he was reunited with his chaotic Noel’s House Party co-star Mr Blobby.
Edmonds told GMB hosts Balls and Susanna Reid that he had a “funny feeling” they might have invited Mr Blobby onto the show, adding: “The only thing that can be said about this is he makes Ed look slim.”
Balls gasped and appeared visibly shocked by the comment, before comedically putting a hand to his head. Meanwhile, Reid awkwardly laughed before introducing a break.
Viewers couldn’t help but notice the remark and, while it was clearly intended as a joke, some accused Edmonds of “fat-shaming” Balls by commenting negatively about his weight.
“Oh Noel, you didn’t need to go there with the Ed Balls weight comment!” one viewer said, while another added: “Did Noel Edmonds just turn up on @GMB to plug his various business interests and then call poor Ed Balls fat?!!”
Another called Edmonds “so rude” adding: “Absolutely no need to say that to Ed.”
After the show returned from a break, Mr Blobby could be seen on the floor, having fallen over the table placed in front of the presenters in the studio.
Reid told viewers: “That was the aftermath of the interview with Noel Edmonds and a special guest appearance by Mr Blobby.”
Mr Blobby originally featured on the British Saturday night variety show, Noel’s House Party, which ran from 1991 to 1999.
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Edmonds also hosted Deal or No Deal from 2005 to 2016. Last year, ITV rebooted the game show with Stephen Mulhern.
Speaking to The Independent about stepping into Edmonds’s shoes, Mulhern said: “It’s really hard to take it off somebody like Noel Edmonds, who was the master. He sent me a lovely message – he said, ‘Look, you’re gonna have an amazing time, you’re the perfect choice for it.’ To hear that from him… Noel’s House Party is still to this day one of the best Saturday night shows of all time.”
