Kathryn Thomas has defended Operation Transformation, after admitting she was “bothered” by the criticism it received last year.
The series follows five participants as they try to lose weight and get fit with the expert help of a dietician, fitness instructor and psychologist.
The programme was met with mixed reviews when it returned to RTÉ One last January, as viewers claimed it promoted an unhealthy diet culture.
Bodywhys, the eating disorder association of Ireland, also raised concerns over the show.
In a statement shared on social media at the time, the organisation claimed the series was “triggering” for those who suffer with disordered eating.
However, the show’s host has insisted the series has evolved over the past 16 years.
Ahead of the new series premiering on Wednesday night, Kathryn confessed: “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t bothered, not that I would go in and read all the comments.”
“I made a decision years ago not to engage with negative stuff, not to go looking for the trolling and nasty comments, which there is no shortage of.”
“The negativity around Operation Transformation last year was well covered outside of social media so, yeah, that did bother me.
“Operation Transformation is about health and wellbeing and while weight loss is one part, overall it’s a holistic approach to encouraging and helping people to lead longer, healthier and happier lives.”
The TV presenter explained: “When the team looked into the criticism, the majority of people speaking out against the show hadn’t seen it for the last four to five years.”
“Operation Transformation has evolved and, yes, it was very weight-centric when it started out, but we are going into season 16.”
“There are 373,000 people watching the show on average, that is a 32.5% audience share which is unheard of for any show in Ireland, if not Europe. Those are the facts, so the Irish audience wants to watch and engage with the show.”
Kathryn said she generally tries to steer clear of negative comments online, and admitted she doesn’t know how young people cope with the “detrimental effects” of trolling.
“I am very happy to take criticism from people who know me, from my colleagues or from my husband, but the nasty online world is too volatile for me to be bothered with,” she explained.
“I’m 43 now and I have lived long enough to know that a lot of it is just nasty for nastiness’ sake. I often wonder if I’d have the career I have now if social media had been around when I was in my 20s.”
“I don’t think I would, because I don’t know how people are coping with the detrimental effects of it – particularly young people.
“There will have to be a change at some point, I don’t think it can go on in its current state.
“When I was swanning around in a bikini in my 20s doing No Frontiers [RTÉ travel show], the only place you’d see criticism was on forums, where you could read good or bad about yourself. While that is still applicable, it is only the tip of the iceberg as to what’s out there now.”
