Fox Presenter Andrea Tantaros: 'Being Poor is a Great Way to Stay Thin'

A TV presenter on the Fox News channel sparked outcry by saying being poor is a great way to achieve a "fabulous" figure.

Andrea Tantaros strayed from her usual political analysis brief by telling 'The Five' viewers that being reliant on food stamps in America is great for slimming.

When the presenter, whom fans dub a "conservative goddess", was asked if she could survive on the $155 (£83) subsidy the government offers low-income families, she replied:

"I should try it because do you know how fabulous I'd look? I'd be so skinny. I mean, the camera adds 10 pounds, it really does."

Later, Tantaros used Twitter to respond to critics who blasted her comments as insensitive and out of touch.

"It's amazing how stupid and humorless (sic) some liberals can be," said Tantaros, a 33-year-old descendant of Greek immigrants who can speak four languages.

Her comment was branded "disgusting" by American title The Huffington Post.

Statements by presenters on Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox News have been causing outrage for years. The most recent controversy occurred earlier this week, when Tantaros's fellow anchor Brian Kilmeade joked that the network finds female anchors by browsing the pages of Victoria's Secret.

But Tantaros was not the not first to link food stamps, which were used by one in seven Americans last year, with the quest to be slim.

She was echoing what the US government said in a public information video, earlier in the year. It drew next to no comment at the time.