Mick Molloy slammed after body-shaming I'm A Celebrity's Simone Holtznagel.

Mick Molloy has claimed he was only “joking” about model Simone Holtznagel’s appearance after being slammed for the body-shaming comments he made on radio this week.

On Triple M’s Kennedy Molloy drive show on Tuesday, Molloy deridingly questioned the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here contestant’s status as an established model.

“She claims to be a model of some description. She claims to be a world-class international model. I call bulls**t on that,” he said to host Jane Kennedy.

From Anthony Mundine’s comments to Bernard Tomic’s departure and Julia Morris’s insensitive joke – there’s something wrong with the new season of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. Post continues.

Despite Kennedy’s objections, he continued, “I mean, maybe a plus-size model.”

“She’s been in the jungle for 10 weeks now and still…”

Mick then hummed ‘Baby Elephant Walk’.

To be clear, no one is saying there’s anything wrong with being a plus-sized model, but we don’t think it’s okay for Mick – or anybody – to be commenting on women’s bodies in a critical or objectifying way.

Criticism came from all sides, including Sydney’s Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Miller, who sent Holtznagel a letter of support.

“I, like many other people saw and heard what the idiot Mick Molloy said about you on the radio and we all see it for what it is — a desperate, misogynistic, cry for attention from an old, dull, over-the-hill man trying to steal your light,” the letter read.

“Stuff him.”

Holtznagel has modelled for brands including Playboy, Marciano and Bras and Things since coming second runner-up in 2011’s season of Australia’s Next Top Model.

She has previously spoken about the pressures of the modelling industry and the self-esteem-crushing comments she’s received.

Responding to Molloy’s comments, the person who runs Holtznagel’s Twitter account while she’s in the African jungle pointed out the 24-year-old is raising money for mental health charity Beyond Blue through the reality show.

The second Tweet seems to ignore that Kennedy protested her co-hosts comments many times throughout the conversation – something the radio presenter pointed out while discussing the fallout with Molloy on Thursday.

“Whoever is doing Simone’s tweets and implied that you [Molloy] are such a svengali and I’m compliant with everything you say and I can’t speak for myself, perhaps you should have actually listened to the segment,” she said.

Meanwhile, there was no apology for Molloy over the comments.

“Yes, I joked about her appearance. By the way, she’s a model. I think you’re allowed to talk about a model’s appearance and on a comedy show where you’re known as an idiot and you happen to be as fat as a house yourself,” the 51-year-old said.

“I think you’re entitled to make a joke. Clearly, she’s not a plus-size model.”

Later he said he would “never comment on a model’s looks ever again, apparently.”

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