Piers Morgan SLAMS ‘outrageous, scornful Anthea Turner for flouting lockdown with ‘pamper party’

Piers Morgan has slammed ‘outrageous, scornful’ Anthea Turner following her lockdown ‘pamper party’ rule break.

The Good Morning Britain host, 55, ranted about the TV presenter, 60, during Tuesday’s show, berating her for hosting a gathering at her London home on February 12, hours after posting a tweet about mask-wearing amid the pandemic.

‘What we could see less of is Anthea Turner, who decided for reasons that completely baffle me – she suddenly pops up last week attacking overweight people and actually attacked a caricature of someone in a mobility scooter, attacking them,’ Piers said of Anthea’s tweet.

He went on: ‘Saying you’ve got to look after your body and if you don’t it’s you who is causing the problem with the NHS because you’re fat.

‘Then it turned out that literally the same day or the day after she was caught with five of her mates coming round for a spa day at her house with beauty treatments.

‘People there treating her, masseurs, beauticians and so-on, giving them eyebrow tints, manicures and massages, which I’m sure every woman would love to have.

‘But how does that sit, Anthea Turner, with your outrageous scornful attack on overweight people for not doing their bit to protect the nation. You know what, it wasn’t work and it didn’t protect the NHS, did it?

‘It had the opposite effect. We need people in her position – if you’re going to do that, practice what you preach!’

Anthea’s party guests were caught on camera as they arrived at the TV personality’s west London apartment without wearing masks on February 12.

In damning photos, at least five different women arrived at the building, headed to the door and waited to be buzzed in by Anthea.

The group – including former BAFTA CEO Chantal Rickards OBE, boutique owner Julia Jaconelli, and a pair of massage experts – turned up at around 4PM, and left after 10PM later in the evening, according to eyewitnesses.

While one of the masseuses arrived wearing a mask, she seemed to have ditched the PPE by the end of event and was seen leaving without it on in the dead of night. 

Anthea’s guests did the opposite – turning up maskless but seen leaving with face masks covering their mouths, presumably about to get into taxis, where these are required to be worn amid COVID-19 restrictions.

Anthea was not pictured, being the hostess, not needing to make an appearance outside.

The party took place hours after Anthea sparked a furore when she posted a cartoon of an overweight woman in a wheelchair berating a thinner lady not wearing a mask on Twitter. 

The pictures were originally obtained by The Sun, taken outside what is thought to be the TV star’s £700,000 abode in Kew, south-west London. 

It is claimed that the women enjoyed treatments such as eyebrow tints, massages and manicures while at the pampering session, dubbed Secret Supper. 

A source told the publication: ‘I can’t believe Anthea’s done something as irresponsible as this. 

‘A steady stream of women arrived showing total disregard for precautions being taken by the vast majority of people in the country.’

Ms Jaconelli told The Sun: ‘It was a business meeting.’

MailOnline has contacted Anthea’s representative for a comment. 

The government’s website states: ‘It is against the law to meet socially with family or friends unless they are part of your household or support bubble. 

‘You cannot leave home for recreational or leisure purposes (such as for a picnic or a social meeting).’ 

However there are some circumstances in which people are allowed to meet others from outside their household, childcare or support bubble- but not be for socialising and only for permitted purposes. 

This includes: ‘For work, or providing voluntary or charitable services, where it is unreasonable to do so from home.  

‘This can include work in other people’s homes where necessary – for example, for nannies, cleaners, social care workers providing support to children and families, or tradespeople.’ 

Anthea’s alleged pampering party is thought to have happened just hours after she had to apologise for causing drama on Twitter on Friday February 12 with her views.

The TV host had posted a cartoon of an overweight woman in a wheelchair eating McDonalds berating a thinner lady wearing no PPE in messages about ‘coronavirus selfishness’.

She shared the image alongside the phrase ‘Go for it x’ before embarking on a series of messages criticising lockdown and personal responsibility on health.

But the decision to speak out appeared to have backfired with some of her fans who turned on her, claiming the image was ignorant and offensive to people disabled through no choice of their own.

It also came hours after she had posted link to a report on obesity being a bigger killer than smoking in England and Scotland.

On February 12 she said sorry for the cartoon, but insisted it had not meant to target people who were clinically ill. She said: ‘Totally apologise that the cartoon is clumsy – I’ll take the rollicking on the chin.

‘But this was never directed at people clinically ill who need our support. My passion is sincere though Covid has to give us a bloody big health wake-up call and we’d be nuts not to try and fix it.’ 

Anthea – who is engaged to businessman Mark Armstrong – posted her original message and cartoon picture just after 7PM on Thursday.

It showed an overweight woman in a motorised wheelchair wearing a facemask, clutching a McDonald’s bag and glaring at a woman without a mask and telling her ‘Put a mask on! You’re putting my health at risk’.

She followed it up with a series of messages questioning if people who did not look after their own health should be prioritised in the pandemic over those who had. 

Anthea said: ‘I’m incensed by the selfish attitudes of people who can’t see we actually are “all in this together” and willful destruction has an impact on us all especially those with other illnesses pushed down the line and charities who are missing out on funding. We have to take responsibility. 

‘If the government put half the amount of money into health as they have in locking us up we wouldn’t be in this mess. Keep McDonald’s open and close gyms many council run and open air – Great.’

While there were some people who agreed with the sentiment others seized on the disability element of the message to attack the presenter.

Piers Morgan branded her ‘despicable’ after she posted the picture. He said: ‘What the hell is this? Have you lost your mind, Anthea? Just despicable.’ 

Labour MP Jess Phillips said: ‘The Anthea Turner thing this morning has just about done me in.

‘I just wish the idiots would just admit that the wind on their face is more important than my sister in laws life while she has chemo. Stop with the god damn hierarchy of whose life matters!!!’