To say that Daisy May Cooper is a fan of This Morning’s Ben Shepard would be an understatement.
Since shooting to fame with This Country, over the years Daisy has professed her love in multiple ways - dedicating her book Don’t Laugh, It’ll Only Encourage Her to him in 2021 and more recently fan-girling over the married presenter when she appeared on his breakfast show on 4 February to promote the second series of Am I Being Unreasonable?
With Ben, 50, fully aware of Daisy’s crush, she began their interview telling him, ‘I just think you're perfect. You've got such a symmetrical face. You are wonderful. I am shaking. I am not going to get creepy, I promise. I just think you're very handsome.'
And although Ben seemed to be in on the joke and loving the attention, This Morning viewers have been quick to note that such behaviour would be a red flag if it had come from Ben.
Taking to social media to express their thoughts, amid the fans of Daisy’s TV appearance a few people were questioning whether her behaviour is acceptable. One wrote, ‘Daisy, you're already coming across as creepy! If it was Ben saying this stuff there would be an uproar, just stop!’ whilst another commented, ‘Imagine the uproar if the roles were reversed. #ThisMorning Creepy as f**k.’
But is that really true?
Father-of-two Ben was absolutely in on the joke, having met Daisy, 38, multiple times over the years under similar circumstances and it's worth noting the actress’s comments weren’t sexualised in any way - although that's not always enough.
A similar example in which merely the genders were reversed is Melvin Odoom’s crush on Carol Vorderman. As the radio presenter revealed in the I’m A Celebrity jungle, he’s been a fan of Carol, 64, ‘for a very long time’. Viewers (and Carol) loved his comments, just as the majority of people seem to support Daisy and Ben’s dynamic.
Perhaps that’s because in both situations, the individuals professing their lust aren’t the ones with the power. As the host of This Morning, compared to Daisy’s status as a guest, Ben is seemingly the one in charge – he’s conducting the interview on his ‘home terf’. The imbalance that would occur if he was the one giving Daisy compliments about her physical appearance doesn't just come from the fact that he's a man - the power dynamic is totally different.
The key to any of these conversations i.e. the giving of compliments and making jokes about having crushes is comfort. If Ben is happy to be the object of Daisy’s celebrity crush and is in on the joke, then no, it isn't 'creepy' or 'inappropriate' - it just becomes another reason to bash a woman.
Daisy Hall is a News and Entertainment writer on Grazia, specialising in TV and film meaning that you can count on Daisy for the latest (and best) recommendations