Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson insists he’s a ‘different person’ to the one who fat-shamed Paulini

Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson breaks down as he talks about the time he discussed famously fat-shamed singer Paulini on Australian Idol tonight I’m a celebrity… Get me out of here!

The former reality TV judge broke down when he told his camp mates that he is not the same person he was back then.

“I don’t feel like that guy Dicko on television 20 years ago. I am a different person. It’s interesting for me to feel how that affects the person I am today,” he said.

“Maybe every time I tell it and it evokes an emotion in me, it brings me closer to working out how I really feel about it. It will probably tear off a layer and that’s a good thing.’

Dicko says he had a ‘chip on his shoulder’ during that period of his career.

“I had to prove myself, but I was just trying to be the cold hard facts guy and it was pretty brutal at times,” he said.

The television star continues that he might have more tactfully advised Paulini not to wear the dress if he had time again.

“If Paulini had come to me at the record company and the stylist had been there and she’d walked out in that dress and told the arias this is what I’m wearing, I would have advised her against it,” he said. .

“I didn’t mean to hurt her and I promise you, if she had walked the red carpet twenty years ago in that dress, it would have been commented on in women’s magazines.”

Dicko burst into tears when he said that a father told him he caused his daughter’s anorexia because of the comments.

“He said, ‘This is your fault. She was an Australian Idol fan and when you said that comment to Paulini, she spiraled out of control and she’s in the hospital now. She could die and if she does, go I hold you personally responsible,” he said.

“It is very hard to feel that my comments have driven a beautiful young girl, the apple of her father’s eye, to a hospital ward where she could die.”

On Wednesday’s episode, Dicko was asked about the chilling moment that humiliated Paulini in 2003.

Dicko admitted she would be “tarred and feathered” if he tried to do something like that on Australian TV today, revealing that people are still asking him about the shocking incident.

He then recalled the controversial TV moment that divided the country, as his campmates listened in shock and confusion.

‘There was a girl called Paulini…great voice. But she got to the end of Australian Idol when it was huge, 2.5 million people per show,” he began.

“She was wearing a two-piece dress and it just didn’t look right. It went through my mind. I can actually keep my mouth shut because people are starting to like me now.

“I can keep my mouth shut or I can do what I said I would do. Unfortunately, I said you should choose more suitable clothes or lose some pounds.’

Dicko talked about the incident, saying it was “eleven banal words” that sent the country into a frenzy.

He did admit that it has become more difficult to speak with an honest voice.

“I’m a straight shooter, but these days my arrows are confiscated because it’s just not worth it,” said Dicko.

“You have to find a way to be straight these days. I promise you there are thoughts in this head that I can’t put into words.”

He took a softer stance and admitted that he would not say the comments to Paulini during this time.

‘Shall I say it today? No, I wouldn’t, but I’m a different person today and the world is different,” he said of the controversy.

Paulini reflected on the February indecent as he spoke to Stellar magazine.

The singer admitted that her self-confidence took a long-lasting blow from which it took a long time to recover.

“It wasn’t the case that I started with a lot of confidence anyway,” said the now 40-year-old.

‘But [that experience] definitely took me backwards,’ she added.

The stunner was only 21 at the time and had opted to perform her song in a breathtaking gold dress.

“When Dicko made that comment, it was kind of a wake-up call for me. What he said to me was hurtful, but it got me thinking: the music industry is about every aspect of your life,” she recently told Daily Mail Australia.

“You have to take care of yourself physically and you have to make sure you look good,” she continued.

Anyone needing support with eating disorders or body image issues is encouraged to contact:

Butterfly National Helpline at 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE) or support@butterfly.org.au

Eating Disorders Victoria Helpline on 1300 550 23

For urgent support call Lifeline 13 11 14