Adlington critical of BBC for Boyle jibe

Rex Features

Rebecca Adlington has reportedly written to the BBC for merely giving Frankie Boyle a "slap on the wrist" for derogatory comments that he made about her.

The comic was censured by the BBC Trust after he made a joke about the Olympic swimmer's appearance on news show Mock The Week.

According to The Mail On Sunday, Boyle, 37, refused to apologise and went on to compare the 20-year-old to a beagle last week.

A representative for the swimmer has written to the Trust to question their handling of the issue, which left Adlington deeply hurt.

The spokesman said: "Frankie Boyle has made it very clear that he doesn't care what the BBC Trust say or do. Essentially, he was given a slap on the wrist and there are no real implications for him. For a comedian or any sort of performer, the media is their promotional vehicle.

"If the BBC chose to remove the oxygen of publicity and stopped him from appearing in their shows, then maybe that could act as a deterrent."

Boyle declined to comment on Adlington's complaint.