Rosanna is right... adopting a gluten free diet helped my autistic cousin
Vogue Williams defends Davison’s comments
VOGUE Williams has defended Rosanna Davison in the wake of her gluten-free controversy saying her autistic cousin benefited from a coeliac diet. Former Miss World Davison, 31, sparked a furore last month when she claimed in an interview to promote her new cookbook that encouraging her husband Wes Quirke to give up gluten relieved his symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
The article also stated ‘ she is a believer in non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, and cites research that shows gluten to be responsible for a huge range of conditions from autism spectrum disorders to schizophrenia’.
And while Ms Davison has since insisted she was ‘miscommunicated’, Ms Williams, 29, told the Irish Daily Mail she has a cousin with autism, as well as several friends, who have benefited from avoiding gluten. The model and TV presenter said she felt sorry for Ms Davison and the negative reaction that followed the article. ‘I think it wasn’t a great comment, but she wasn’t… trying to be nasty. Everyone just went for her, though, and it was like, “Wow, give her a break”. I felt quite sorry for her about that.
‘My little cousin is autistic and he’s been switched to everything gluten-free, and my aunt says she does notice a difference in him and his behaviour. A friend of mine is gluten i ntolerant and she really has to stay away from it,’ said Ms Williams, who yesterday announced details of the Just Eat National Takeaway Awards.
The Dubliner is one of the few Irish models who does enjoy gluten in their diet. She said: ‘I’d love to go gluten-free because it’s healthy, but I couldn’t. If I had to give up anything I’d eat less dairy.’
The model works out six times a week to allow herself to indulge in carbs, but she maintains a healthy regime during the week.
‘I would be healthy during the week and then I have one day off where I can eat whatever I want. I don’t eat carbs though after 4pm. I could probably be healthier, it’s just hard when you’re busy. I’m not hugely strict on myself and you can eat more if you eat healthily. I like what I eat too – I put cheese in things.’
Her gym visits keep her trim and toned. She remarked: ‘I love working out though. It makes you feel better about yourself.
‘It also sorts out your stress levels. I work out for half an hour doing high intensity stuff with a trainer.’
‘I felt quite sorry for her’