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Carol Vorderman demands apology from Reform candidate over ‘disgusting comments’ Is she right and should Kenyon apologise?

(23 Posts)
LemonJam Tue 26-May-26 18:31:26

From the recipient's perspective: The broadcaster and former Countdown numbers expert described Robert Kenyon, who Reform has backed to face Andy Burnham in next month’s vote, as a “cowardly man” for a series of offensive posts made by the Wigan councillor that have since been deleted, along with his account. Vorderman, who last week posted a video in which she described Kenyon as a misogynist who made “disgusting comments”, told the Daily Mirror on Tuesday that she wanted “an apology from Rob Kenyon, to me, and to all the other people he’s abused online”.

In 2021, Kenyon responded to a social media post about Vorderman in which another user wrote: “My god I’d love to smell and lick your arsehole”, by saying: “He’s only saying what we’re all thinking”.

Vorderman dismissed Danny Kruger’s public response (that Kenyon is an 'ordinary man' and they were private comments) , saying that being an “ordinary man” was no excuse and the fact that Kenyon’s posts were made publicly meant they should be considered as online abuse. “I’m 65, I grew up in north Wales in abject poverty, I spent half of my life living in the north, whether it was Leeds, or Manchester, or that strip of north Wales,” said Vorderman. “And he says Kenyon is just an ordinary man saying ordinary things. No, I’m sorry, Kenyon isn’t an ordinary man. He’s a cowardly man, which is why he deleted one of his social media accounts. “They are public comments on a public platform and if Danny Kruger thinks online abuse is OK then Reform are therefore stating online abuse against women is OK, then all women in Makerfield need to know that.”

Cossy Tue 26-May-26 18:33:46

I think anything of this nature posted online and then “supported” by another poster is simply completely disgusting.

It needs more than just a public apology and I don’t care who said it or why or when, it’s now out there online and it’s completely degrading!

Do men really and truly believe this is what women want to read?

LemonJam Tue 26-May-26 18:42:52

I agree Cossy. I know there is another post about Kenyon but that seemed to get way laid somewhat by deflection to something Streeting tweeted as a student in 2009.

This post is particularly about how his comments land for the woman, the excuses coming out from Reform UK ( ie Kenyon is an 'ordinary man' and a 'straight talker', they are his private thoughts and comments) and Kenyon's absolute silence on the matte .
Carole Vorderman is a strong, feminist woman and she seemingly is not letting this go.....

Cossy Tue 26-May-26 18:46:16

He should have kept his (disgusting) private thoughts, completely private then, and told them to no one.

Mollygo Tue 26-May-26 18:48:26

His latest excuse, if BBC News is to be believed, is that the comments were made before he entered Parliament, so don’t count.

Cossy Tue 26-May-26 18:50:50

Mollygo

His latest excuse, if BBC News is to be believed, is that the comments were made before he entered Parliament, so don’t count.

YAWN (not you Mollygo

It’s pathetic and no explanation whatsoever!

Allsorts Tue 26-May-26 18:53:08

What an odious man. Not a fan of Carol, find her obsession with her looks off putting. I would not want Kenyon in my house, creepy man, is this what Reform is? Glad they didn't get my vote.

MayBee70 Tue 26-May-26 18:58:16

I think they have deliberately chosen an unelectable candidate because they want Burnham to win. So they can say their Starmer Out campaign worked.

Maremia Tue 26-May-26 19:02:56

That's a fair theory.

Mollygo Tue 26-May-26 19:04:30

MayBee70

I think they have deliberately chosen an unelectable candidate because they want Burnham to win. So they can say their Starmer Out campaign worked.

That’s quite a possibility.

LemonJam Tue 26-May-26 19:10:05

It does indeed seem this is what Reform UK is and what it finds acceptable.

Worse that Reform UK sees no reason to expect Kenyon to publicly apologise and no reason to stop such people standing for election as Reform UK MPs and local councillors who post in this manner. It just gives the message to young men and boys that this is now acceptable in UK society to have these kind of thoughts about women and post them.

It is of no importance to me whether CV is or is not obsessed by her looks ( what does that actually mean? She's in the public eye and has money to do whatever she likes and dress however she likes). The trouble with going down that road is that is excuses the man. I'm not saying anyone is doing that- just a dangerous, potentially deflection path....

MT62 Tue 26-May-26 19:22:04

I hope they have kicked him out.
Crude fella

eazybee Tue 26-May-26 19:23:08

I found the comment LemonJam chose to repeat quite disgusting and wondered at the desire to print it. After I had unravelled the convoluted opening sentence and established who the Countdown presenters and Wigan Councillors were I gather that the purpose is to attack Reform, using the increasingly embarrassing Vorderman as ammunition

Up to you, but I would ask for the offensive comment to be removed.

Cossy Tue 26-May-26 19:29:37

eazybee

I found the comment LemonJam chose to repeat quite disgusting and wondered at the desire to print it. After I had unravelled the convoluted opening sentence and established who the Countdown presenters and Wigan Councillors were I gather that the purpose is to attack Reform, using the increasingly embarrassing Vorderman as ammunition

Up to you, but I would ask for the offensive comment to be removed.

Are you actually suggesting Lemongrass asks for her post about Reforms candidate’s comment be removed?

In the words of a great tennis player, you cannot be serious

How can you be more outraged about the offensive comment being repeated than you are about it being used in the first place?

twaddle Tue 26-May-26 19:33:37

eazybee

I found the comment LemonJam chose to repeat quite disgusting and wondered at the desire to print it. After I had unravelled the convoluted opening sentence and established who the Countdown presenters and Wigan Councillors were I gather that the purpose is to attack Reform, using the increasingly embarrassing Vorderman as ammunition

Up to you, but I would ask for the offensive comment to be removed.

I disagree with you. I think people should know what this man "liked" and what kind of person he is. Without the actual words, it's difficult to conceive just how disgusting they are. If you're shocked, just think how Carol Vorderman must feel.

FWIW I'm not a great Carol Vorderman fan. I think she's an irritating attention seeker. Nevertheless, nobody should have to put up with that kind of vile comment.

welbeck Tue 26-May-26 19:36:28

Who is fanny kruger?
I presume the other one is the Reform candidate.
That's another 5 minutes of my life wastedm

MayBee70 Tue 26-May-26 19:37:09

eazybee

I found the comment LemonJam chose to repeat quite disgusting and wondered at the desire to print it. After I had unravelled the convoluted opening sentence and established who the Countdown presenters and Wigan Councillors were I gather that the purpose is to attack Reform, using the increasingly embarrassing Vorderman as ammunition

Up to you, but I would ask for the offensive comment to be removed.

I’m glad that she printed it because I didn’t know about this and it’s right that such comments should be exposed. Why do you want to protect this man confused?

welbeck Tue 26-May-26 19:37:21

Danny Kruger
That's what I wrote.
I thought...

Cossy Tue 26-May-26 19:43:34

welbeck

Who is fanny kruger?
I presume the other one is the Reform candidate.
That's another 5 minutes of my life wastedm

I’m so sorry, I’m the Queen of typos, but I’ll never think about him without calling him Fanny now! I laughed out loud grin

eazybee Tue 26-May-26 19:45:48

If you had bothered to read my post properly, Cossy, you would have noticed that I suggested the offensive comment was removed, not the post, No useful purpose in repeating it.

And your stupid comment, Maybee, asking why I want to protect this man. Grow up.

twaddle Tue 26-May-26 19:46:57

Why should the offensive comment be removed? It's important people realise just how offensive it was.

Cossy Tue 26-May-26 19:51:53

eazybee

If you had bothered to read my post properly, Cossy, you would have noticed that I suggested the offensive comment was removed, not the post, No useful purpose in repeating it.

And your stupid comment, Maybee, asking why I want to protect this man. Grow up.

How rude!

As for not printing the “offensive comment”, without it some of us would not know the extent of this man’s sewer mind.

Don’t call Maybee’s comment stupid, it’s no more stupid than yours and I don’t she needs to grow up either!

She’s probably quite grown up enough, as are all of us here grin

Cossy Tue 26-May-26 19:52:23

twaddle

Why should the offensive comment be removed? It's important people realise just how offensive it was.

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