Rosita 'too fat' to be Idol says Sir Howard

By KELLY BLANCHARD in Rotorua
Rotorua entertainment legend Sir Howard Morrison reckons NZ Idol finalist Rosita Vai has a nice voice - but she's too overweight for an idol.

Nik Carlson from Masterton and Rosita will vie for the NZ Idol title tomorrow, with the winner announced on Monday.

But Sir Howard says Rosita is no idol. It was a fact of life that big people were not idolised in the entertainment industry, he said.

If Rosita wins the TV singing competition on Monday night, Sir Howard said the singer could become a health advocate for Polynesian and Maori people by publicly losing weight.

Sir Howard made the comments as part of a Daily Post experts' panel on who should win NZ Idol.

Although he knew his comments were not going to be liked by many, he said Rosita had the potential to turn her weight problem into a positive.

"I'm not being cruel.

"She has already lost weight throughout the show and you can see that. She has gone from waddling on to the stage when she first started to being more in control of her performance, but she is still too big."

When told his comments would most likely strike a nerve around the country, Sir Howard said "I don't care. When have I ever avoided telling the truth if I am asked?"

He said for Rosita's sake, he hoped she became a star and proved him wrong.

"I hope if she does, I will be around to be the first to apologise. I wouldn't use her on my show because there are better female singers who look better and sound better."

Sir Howard said a good example of a good voice and an excellent image was young singer Yulia Townsend from Christchurch.

Sir Howard said the NZ Idol episode on TV last weekend which showed Rosita feasting with her family was a perfect example of the problem Polynesian and Maori people faced with obesity.

"She said herself her favourite food is corned beef and rice. She doesn't have the right image at the moment but if she is a NZ Idol, she could be in a position to advocate for all of us brown people who eat too much accelerating health issues such as diabetes."

Sir Howard said overweight entertainers, such as Prince Tui Teka and Billy T James, were able to make light of their weight but it was harder for women to pull that off.

"Who overweight have we seen in the last 10 years who has made a name for themselves?"

New Zealand Idol judge Frankie Stevens said he "respectively" disagreed with Sir Howard.

"There are a lot of weight-challenged people that have sung brilliantly throughout the years - including famous opera and pop stars," he said. "Idols have more substance than that."