Dawn French has issued a strongly worded plea urging people to “stop body shaming” apparently in response to comments surrounding Marie-France van Heel, the wife of prime minister Andy Burnham.

French, 68, shared a video of herself on Instagram on Friday (24 July), in which she hit out at “bullying” in regards to comments about a woman who she does not name.

The Vicar of Dibley star began: “So, a woman… a human normal woman standing there and all you can talk about is her dress and her body.”

“How dare you body shame her?” she continued. “This is a bright woman who speaks lots of languages; she’s run businesses; she’s faced challenges you wouldn’t even begin to imagine. You wouldn’t have the f***ing courage for it.”

“Stop it! Stop bullying people! It’s a human being with a human body!” she concluded.

French did not mince her words in the caption for her video either, writing: “STOP BODY SHAMING PEOPLE YOU UTTER C***SHRIMPS!!!”

The actor’s comments seem to be in response to the online conversation surrounding van Heel’s appearance after she joined her husband, the newly appointed prime minister, at Buckingham Palace for his meeting with King Charles.

Van Heel, known as Frankie, wore a pastel dress by British label Victoria Beckham for the occasion, sparking some comments about her appearance that have been described as “sexist” and “shameful”.

“I am HORRIFIED by the vitriol Andy Burnham’s wife is being subjected too,” one person commented on French’s Instagram post. Another added: “Seriously?? Am I right in thinking she's talking about the new prime ministers wife?! If so, Dawn is so right.”

Thousands of others also commented their support, including celebrities such as Paloma Faith, who wrote “Love you Dawn!” and Suranne Jones who added love heart emojis.

Both Vicky Pattinson and Bodyguard star Keeley Hawes commented several hand-clapping emojis.

Van Heel – who grew up in the Netherlands and Belgium – met Burnham while the two were studying at the University of Cambridge. They got married in 2000 and share a son, Jimmy, and two daughters, Rosie and Annie.

Having worked in marketing and strategy for several years, Van Heel was involved in the logo designs for the BBC and England Rugby.