I have heard of some public figures reportedly increasing drug addiction, but have you ever heard of celebrities helping to cause addictions to junk food? With the rise of social media websites such as Twitter and apps such as Instagram, we are getting more of a view into the lives of celebrities. We get to see where they hang out, who they hang out with and what they eat. I have seen countless pictures of their meals, some healthy and some not.

But more often than not I have spotted pictures of fast food on celebrities Twitter pages and Instagram accounts, Abbey Clancy holding a Big Mac, Made in Chelsea’s Louise Thompson tweeting about her obsession with Domino’s and Heidi Klum pictured eating McDonald’s at a red carpet event. Fair enough, just like us these celebrities can indulge from time to time, maintaining a healthy balanced diet alongside eating a little bit of what they fancy. But the difference is that after eating that burger or pizza they can work it off with a session with their personal trainer the next day, whereas we are left with a muffin top.

With a large number of Twitter followers reality stars and models alike know that they have a large audience. Alongside this the magazines and online websites are quick to lift Instagram pictures and create a story about them. Some people are influenced by celebrities and will think ‘well if she eats a large size pizza on a weekly basis and looks like that then so can I’. Thus comes an unhealthy addiction to junk food.

One celebrity who is notorious for tweeting about how much she loves pizza, is Louise Thompson who recently proclaimed her love for Domino’s pizza. On what feels like a weekly basis Louise mentions that she is eating pizza. Whilst she most likely thinks that tweeting about this is harmless, inadvertently she is promoting the message that there is nothing wrong with eating fast food on a regular basis.

The Sunday Times Style magazine should be applauded for their Fit not Thin campaign, which is encouraging readers to eat healthily and work out on a regular basis. They are endorsing the idea that we should all be in shape, rather than thin. Whilst I have spent the majority of this article damning some role models for encouraging consumption of junk food, other celebrities who uphold a healthy lifestyle should be applauded.

The reality star Millie Mackintosh, posts pictures of her gym workout and has just launched a blog for Yahoo! Lifestyle UK where she documents her healthy regime, which has involved cutting out sugar. Gwyneth Paltrow is probably most famous for championing healthy eating through her website Goop and cookery books. Furthermore The Only Way is Essex’s Lucy Mecklenburgh has done much to help the public with weight loss, with her workout website, Results With Lucy.

Whilst some celebrities arguably have helped to cause addiction to junk food, others have provided inspirational examples of how to live a healthy lifestyle. We can only hope that these positive role models increase.