Team GB star Amy Hunt explains her viral response to Sydney Sweeney’s nude sports ad backlash

Team GB sprinter Amy Hunt appeared on Good Morning Britain to explain her viral response to the backlash Sydney Sweeney’s nude sports advert has received.

Released last week, the ad for sports betting company Novig faced backlash for featuring a completely nude Sweeney, covered only with sports equipment.

Hunt's response to the ad went viral on Sunday after she spoke in a live BBC interview immediately after finishing fourth in the 200m race at the World Athletics Championship.

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The athlete, who recently won four gold medals at the European Championships for athletics, said: "Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like: 21.4. Muscles. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears."

Speaking to GMB presenters Susanna Reid and Ed Balls after appearing at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hunt explained her viral moment.

Asked by Susanna Reid and Ed Balls for her thoughts on why the ad faced a backlash, Hunt said: "I think when we're trying to provide role models for young people and young women in sport, we really want to show that it's about what your body can do, not so much what it looks like."

She continued: "I think when we see the stats of 64% of young girls drop out of exercise and sport before they reach the age of 16, we don't need to place any kind of barrier whatsoever in their way in terms of providing the opportunity and the empowerment for them to still exercise, whatever that looks like, professional or kind of just going to do a park run with your friends.

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"So it's about empowering young girls and young women and young people to show that you really can just get out there and you don't have to worry what you look like. You don't have to worry about what you're wearing."

Sweeney has yet to address the backlash directly. However, The Guardian reported that the Euphoria star shared a series of images on social media showing male and female athletes posing nude for magazine shoots, including Serena Williams, footballer Megan Rapinoe and basketball player Sue Bird.

Meanwhile, founder and chief executive of Novig, Jacob Fortinsky, defended the advert, reportedly saying: "Sydney is great at captivating audiences and being the centre of attention. In some sense, it forces us into the national discourse."

Good Morning Britain airs on weekdays at 6am on ITV1.

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Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy. 

A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre. 

In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.