TV reporter body shamed, harassed schools troll on LIVE programme; 'that's how women my age look'

An on-air traffic traffic reporter was body shamed and harassed during a LIVE television programme by a viewer who mocked her appearance. A footage of the broadcast went viral as the reporter addressed the viewer who publicly harassed her for her body type. Leslie Horton, 59, employed for the Canadian news outlet Global News, was hosting the daily traffic show when she shifted the focus on the online troll that body shamed her, surprising her audience.

The presenter told the audience that she has got an email where a viewer shamed her belly.  "I’m just going to respond to an email that I just got, saying, 'Congratulations on your pregnancy,'" Horton said, reading the email sent by the viewer who isn’t identified with the name to keep his details confidential. ”If you’re gonna wear old bus driver pants then you have to expect emails like this,” Horton said on live TV.

"So, thanks for that. Um, no, I’m not pregnant. I actually lost my uterus to cancer last year. And um, this is what women of my age look like,” the presenter said. “So if it is offensive to you, that is unfortunate.”

"Think about the emails you send.” Horton took to the social media account X, formerly Twitter, and she posted the video of the exchanges that happened during the show. The social media users slammed the troll for being insensitive towards Horton as she defeated the major ailment and won the health battle. "You look beautiful. Don’t change a thing,” a user said online. "Way to go, Leslie, for standing up to rude people like that," meanwhile one other stated.

‘I had a visceral response to it. And I was hurt, angry’: Reporter 

Horton also appeared on ‘Good Morning America’ and thanked people for the support. She was asked about her inspiring journey to being anew free by the host. Normally, said Horton, she planned to ignore such what she described as the ‘negative’ and ‘toxic’ remarks made about her body. While she argued that she normally would dismiss such critics, this one comment particularly was close to home. It is a man [who] has been sending nasty emails for about four years now…it's been a pretty constant stream of emails," Horton said in the televised remarks. 

“And when I got that email during our show, last Wednesday morning, I had a visceral response to it. And I was hurt, angry,” she added. “And I was partly determined that I was clear that this was not an appropriate thing to say. The aim of the email was to hurt and humiliate. And shame me.”

Horton was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in December 2021 and had to make tough decision to get her uterus removed. She said that during her challenging recovery, she managed to "slowly rebuilt my life.""Because anytime you have a battle with cancer, [it] takes a toll on many, many levels. And you have to figure out who you are going forward, life becomes before cancer, and after cancer,” Horton maintained.