A famous England-based television presenter and novelist, Prue Leith has been slammed after describing The Gambia as a sex heaven for elderly European men and women.

In an article published in the Spectator magazine, Prue, who was recently in the country with her husband,  said she was shocked to see elderly European women on the beach happily strolling along hand in hand with beautiful young Gambian men.

She wrote: “It’s a kind of real-life Tinder dream for geriatrics.”

The television presenter also revealed she saw “triumphant 70-something white men living the dream, cocktails or beer glass in hand, lounging about with glamorous black girls on the double beach beds.”

Her article was also featured on DailyMail Online, where some readers reacted angrily.

One of them wrote: “Prue, you are not short of a couple of bob. You could consider sponsoring a Gambian child to go to secondary school. Even admit an aspiring Gambian cook to your catering school. You could donate a sack of rice to a village school. Pencils and exercise books are greatly appreciated. The snake education project at Kartong wouldn’t turn a donation away. Please look a little deeper.”

Another reader added: “This isn’t fair to The Gambia. Yes, sex is available, but you can always say no. Employment isn’t easy to find and is often seasonal. Hotel staff might get about £50 a month. Things are improving though. I love it there.”

Prue Leith is a judge on Britain’s most famous television baking competition, The Great British Bakeoff on Channel 4.  Last year’s final was watched by 7.7 million viewers.