When I tweeted a photoshop-free picture of Cindy Crawford my Twitter timeline went crazy. As someone who works in an industry where the norm is size 8, digitally retouched perfection, the subsequent discussion surrounding body image and body confidence has been fascinating, touching, and heartening.

I posted the image in celebration of the “natural” body of an unmistakably gorgeous woman – and a supermodel that I’d grown-up with -- and I thought it’d encourage a bit of a Friday feeling amongst my female followers. In particular, it was so lovely to see a body that hadn’t been photoshopped to death.

It’s been fascinating because it’s easy to underestimate the impact the images we see every day can have on us -- and the language associated with that. Some commenters who have tweeted me have talked of Cindy being proud of her “flaws”. Flaws? Seriously? How did not having a six-pack suddenly become a flaw? And why are we okay with that?

It’s been touching because the continual bombardment of unattainable levels of so-called perfection (unattainable, because the images are Photoshopped) can make women feel as though they’re somehow failing. And the response online proves that. I’ve had women – especially mothers - getting in touch who’ve said that it finally makes them feel “normal”. We appear to have reached a level in our lives where a flabby tummy, stretch marks, bingo wings, or large thighs somehow makes us abnormal instead of beautiful.

And I’d say that it’s heartening because as someone who pops up on the TV everyday I’m fair game when it comes to some viewers commenting on my weight. I remember bursting into tears when the first email came in from a viewer shortly after I started at ITV many years ago, “you can’t have failed to have noticed that you’re fatter than other news presenters, and I think it’s about time you did something about it.”

I’m far older and stronger now, so I shrug these things off – but I do regularly get messages about my weight. Just last year, a man tweeted me after we covered a story on food banks, and suggested that maybe if I stopped eating the contents of everyone’s fridge then that’d leave more food for everyone else. Nine times out of ten, when someone recognises me on the street the first thing they’ll say is “gosh, you look so fat on the TV”. I’ll also regularly get tweets and emails to comment on whether I’ve lost weight, put on weight, look thinner etc.

I’m strong enough to not let these things affect me psychologically. I’m average size and healthy, so I’m happy. But it does irk me that because I’m on TV and not a size 8, that somehow I’m imperfect or “flawed”. A lot of that has to do with these photoshopped images that we see everyday. But that’s the joke isn’t it? This perfection nonsense has been created by someone sitting on a computer using a mouse. It’s utter madness.

More worryingly, it’s also dangerous. If grown-ups feel these computer-creations represent perfection, can you imagine the impact that it will be having on young boys and girls?

Do you know what would’ve been wonderful though? The picture not being a leak, and Marie Claire really doing an un-Photoshopped spread. Can you imagine how empowering that would be? I won’t hold my breath (but I’ll keep my fingers crossed just in case).