Good Morning Britain viewers were left doing a double take after tuning in today (Tuesday 30 May) to see a completely naked woman being interviewed about nude sunbathing in parks.
After the City of London Corporation received complaints about people sunbathing naked, ITV decided to bring the debate to the Good Morning Britain studio, welcoming naturist Helen Berriman to argue her side.
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To drive her point home, she proudly appeared in her birthday suit, with producers blurring out those post-watershed body parts for people watching at home.
Discussing the argument for making naked sunbathing illegal, Berriman asked: “All the things going on in the world at the moment, are we really that bothered about a nude body sunbathing in a quiet corner of a park?
“There’s so much else going on that we could be concerned about.”
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Currently, sunbathing in the nude is legal as long as you don't cause 'alarm or distress' to others, but there are people like presenter Nick Ede who can understand why it’s ‘offensive’.
He hit back: “I am bothered about it. I mean, the only bush I want to see when I’m having a sandwich is a green one with birds in it! That’s the only thing I want to see.
“And I have issues with it because I think it’s a very selfish thing. It’s about you and your empowerment.
“I completely understand body positivity, which I think is fantastic, but you’re not taking into consideration the other people within that environment, who might be a little bit triggered, they might find it a little bit offensive.”
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Berriman – who stressed she does ‘wear clothes’ sometimes - couldn’t understand why he felt it was ‘offensive’, questioning why nudity was seen as one of many ‘triggers’.
"It's just a body,” she said to Ede.
“You've got one. You’ve got one in the shower – it's naked as well, presumably. How is that offensive?”
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Naturally, viewers were slightly gobsmacked by what they saw, with many doing a double-take after switching the telly on.
One tweeted: “Wait... Am I trippin' or is that woman naked?”
Another wrote: “Why is there a naked blurry women on ITV #GMB right now? Bit dramatic.”
A third added: “@GMB this naked woman is putting me off my breakfast! Please make it stop!!”
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Many others joined in on the debate, with one writing: “It’s only because we stigmatise naked bodies that so many people have body dysmorphia. It’s unclean teeth that puts me off.”
One person agreed: “Actually kids do need to see healthy normal naked bodies rather than unrealistic airbrushed ones.”
But someone else argued: “I have no issue with nudity, I do have an issue with nudity in public places […] Children should not be given the message that everyone gets naked anywhere!”
Another said: “I wouldn't want to see someone naked in the park friggin hell.”
Topics: TV and Film, Good Morning Britain, UK News
Jess Hardiman