Comic hit back at verbal abuse

Sue Perkins has revealed she has been the victim of her 'first homophobic insult in 20 years'.

The comedian said she feared she could be physically attacked by man who verbally abused her on Hampstead Heath in London, but she confronted him nonetheless.

The 51-year-old former Bake Off host said: 'I was on the Heath and this guy, I think he said, "You fucking dyke."

'You know when something bad happens and on the bus on the way home you think of all the brilliant things you should have said in that moment I had that very profoundly.

'At the time, I went right up to him and went, "What did you say?' And he postured a bit almost as if he was going to hit me, almost like an intimation of something physical.

'I just thought I'm going to stand here. And, very calmly, I went, "What did you say?" I remember my hand was out because I wanted to keep that distance, like if you come within the length of my arm I know that something really bad is going to happen."

'He just sort of buckled a bit and he went, "I just mean you've got a nice face, why would you..." I just thought, 'What's my face got to do with you?'

Perkins told the  Homo Sapiens podcast that she wondered if the incident meant abusive homophobia was 'coming back'.

Published: 2 Oct 2020