New York mayor calls Dr Atkins 'fat'

The mayor of New York has become embroiled in a row with the widow of Dr Robert Atkins after calling the late diet pioneer “fat”.

Michael Bloomberg also suggested that Dr Atkins died from weight-related problems, and not by slipping on an icy New York footpath last year.

The off-the-cuff remarks, made by Mr Bloomberg privately during a lunch with firefighters, have left Dr Atkins’s widow Veronica “extremely upset and hurt”, her spokesman said.

Mr Bloomberg was heard to say: “Atkins is dead. I don’t believe that (Atkins) dropped dead slipping on the sidewalk. Yeah, right.”

When a firefighter asked Mr Bloomberg what Dr Atkins looked like when the pair met, the mayor replied: “The guy was fat – big guy – but heavy.”

He said the food Dr Atkins served was “inedible”.

“I took one appetiser and I had to spit it into my napkin. It was just terrible,” he said.

The Mayor’s off-guard comments left Mrs Atkins dismayed.

“Veronica Atkins is extremely upset and hurt,” said the doctor’s spokesman.

“She is confused. She doesn’t understand why the mayor would do this. She does not understand this at all. She’s really hurt by this.”

She was particularly hurt because Mr Bloomberg sent her a condolence letter after Dr Atkins’ death last April.

Dr Atkins died of head injuries shortly after the fall.

Mr Bloomberg wrote that Dr Atkins had “touched the lives of so many and his legacy of service is an inspiration to us all”.

The mayor’s office declined to comment on the row.

The Atkins diet has millions of followers around the world.

Dieters cut down on carbohydrates, such as pasta, bread and rice, and fill up on protein, including meat, fish and eggs.

The diet has a number of celebrity followers including Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Minnie Driver, Renee Zellweger and Geri Halliwell.

Despite its popularity, the diet has come in for criticism by some nutritionists who say it can lead to high intakes of fat and cholesterol.