Victoria Pendleton appears to have hit back at viewers criticising her attitude on the new ITV showDon't Rock the Boat, in which celebrities compete in two teams to race from Cornwall to Scotland.
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In the series, the star clashed with Craig Charles over his struggle with seasickness, who responded by telling Victoria that she had made him feel "awkward" and "unhappy" with her behaviour towards him.
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Fans were quick to comment on the situation, with one writing: "Victoria not coming across very well on here. I'm with Craig. Think he was right to say something. Loving the programme!"
Seemingly in response to the criticism, the former Olympic athlete tweeted: "If you are given three select pages from an epic dark and stormy novel, do you think you would be in a position to review it and judge the characters in it accurately? #DontRockTheBoat."
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She also shared a snap of herself with a lengthy caption, which read: "If I were a boy... I have been told to man up and act like a man, to harden up, toughen up and suck it up.
"You don’t always get it right....but you have to walk in with your head held high, put your hand up and accept responsibility and the consequences for your failures and weaknesses, when your heart is broken with disappointment and your body is aching from exertion."
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She added: "I wonder if I swapped shoes with my twin brother, I would have experienced the same disapproval and judgement and felt demonised. I would have probably been described as driven... or maybe nobody would have felt it necessary/appropriate or justified to acknowledge it."
The athlete concluded: "This portrait was taken in 2012 by David Bailey, it is an image that makes me look as unapologetic as I want to be."
Victoria posted a snap seemingly in response to the criticism
Her followers supported her in the comments section, with one writing: "No shame at all. You explained very reasonably and rationally how that difference in opinion came to be... people do disagree and that’s fine!
"No shame, no harm, no problem. Well done for your part in what has so far been a thoroughly brilliant show."
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