Former Downton Abbey star ‘shocked and upset’ by suggestions made in magazine’s Little Black Book feature

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Tatler magazine has apologised to Daisy Lewis after describing the Downton Abbey actor as “fun … in bed. Probably.”

In the monthly society style magazine’s Little Black Book feature, which profiles “the smartest, sexiest singles on the planet”, they included an image of Lewis in their rankings.

The magazine captioned the shot: “As Daisy is quite small, you might be tricked into believing she’s quiet. LOL. She isn’t. This actress is loud. Which makes her fun at a party. And in bed. Probably.”

Lewis, who played the school teacher Sarah Bunting in the ITV drama, tweeted an image of the page on Friday night, saying: “I’m really shocked and upset by this. But thankfully I’m ‘loud’ enough to say it. Does anyone at Tatler read the news?”

Daisy Lewis (@daisylflewis) I'm really shocked and upset by this. But thankfully I'm 'loud' enough to say it. Does anyone at Tatler read the news? #misogyny #loudwomen pic.twitter.com/VOEXxreH7r

On Saturday morning, the Condé Nast publication apologised to the star on social media and said a full apology would be printed in the next edition of the magazine.

Tatler (@TatlerUK) Tatler apologises unreservedly to @daisylflewis. We will also be publishing a full apology in the next issue.

After a week of intense debate about the sexual harassment of women in the arts and politics, fury mounted on social media over the caption.

Some branded the inclusion of the sexualised comment misogynistic and aggressive.

Zoe O'Connor (@zoconnor) Cruel, misogynistic and bullying. Does @TatlerUK not have any editorial staff? I would be shocked & hurt too. But also damn angry & loud.

Lisa Male (@DrippyHippy) @TatlerUK

Are you actually joking??

There is NO excuse for continuing to write about people as if they were commodities.

😠 https://t.co/gEgyNOzAHl

Also featured in the list was Camilla Harden, the Duchess of Cornwall’s office manager, who was described as being able to “rustle up a dinner party for 12 with only 20 minutes’ notice”.

According to the magazine, Harden is also known for throwing “legendary NYE fancy-dress parties in Cumbria”.

The eligible men included in the rankings featured aristocrats as well as actors such as Jack O’Connell, who were described as embodying “manliness at its most magnificent”.