Poor Paula.
Last week, the Queen of Southern Cuisine announced that she had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Many (HuffPost Food included) were quick to blame her Crisco- and lard-heavy diet for her disease. And since then, she's been pilloried by the media (again: us included!) for the fact that she waited three years to reveal her diagnosis, choosing to come clean now only because she'd inked a multi-million dollar deal to endorse diabetes drug Victoza.
The ethics of her actions aside, Deen must be under a lot of stress right about now. She doesn't even have her longtime publicist Nancy Assuncao insulating her from the worst of the attacks any more. So it makes sense that she'd be relieved to be spending a week or so hosting her annual Paula Deen Party Cruise. It would be a time, she must have thought, to relax and enjoy herself, away from the prying eyes of the media.
But not even the high seas could keep Paula safe. When one camera-happy cruise passenger spotted Paula eating a cheeseburger and fries, he or she pounced, videotaping the feast and sending it back to shore.
It probably wasn't very smart of Paula to chow down on such rich fare so soon after her announcement. (Or really, at all, given the state of her health.) But we can't help but feel sympathetic towards a woman whose show and lifestyle products have brought us so much joy in the past.
Watch the gotcha video in all its can't-look-away glory: