News anchor gains attention online for her epic response as she slammed a body-shamer

A Canadian news anchor recently garnered online attention for her powerful response as she rebuffed a body-shamer who questioned her pregnancy and criticized her appearance. Leslie Horton, a 59-year-old traffic reporter at Global News in Canada, was delivering her routine traffic report in late November when she paused to address a viewer’s email criticizing her appearance during the live broadcast.

Addressing the email on air, Horton quoted, “I’m just going to respond to an email that I just got saying: ‘Congratulations on your pregnancy.’ If you’re gonna wear old bus driver pants, then you have to expect emails like this,” as per the contents of the viewer’s message. In her response, she calmly stated, “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.”

Adding to her response, Horton remarked, “So if it is offensive to you, that is unfortunate. Think about the emails you send,” concluding her dignified reaction to the body-shaming comment.

The video clip of Horton’s response was shared by her network and has since gained widespread attention, amassing 3.5 million views. She is being lauded for publicly confronting the body-shaming remarks, with one user praising her for standing up against “BS misogynistic comments.” Another user likened the critical comments to those of a child in grade 5, highlighting the immaturity involved.

Nevertheless, some individuals criticized the media outlet for describing Horton’s response as “emotional.” One user expressed support for Horton while questioning the gender bias, asking if a man would be labeled “emotional” in a similar situation and demanding an apology from the media outlet.

In an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America, Horton shared that she typically ignores or dismisses negative remarks but revealed that this particular comment hit her hard. She disclosed that the sender of the offensive emails has been a man persistently sending nasty messages for about four years, aiming to hurt, humiliate, and shame her. Horton, diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2021, lost her uterus during the course of her health journey.