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When someone has any sort of public profile or TV fame, you kind of assume they must be flooded with DMs from people interested in getting to know them better. However, that doesn’t preclude them from also having dating app profiles.
One problem that we’ve heard they can come up against is other users not believing they are who they say they are.
Michael Chakraverty found fame after his appearance on season 10 of The Great British Baking Show (known as The Great British Bake Off in the UK). He made it through to the seventh episode of the ten-part show in 2019, before being eliminated from the competition.
The gay baker posted a screenshot to Twitter earlier today, detailing his account suspension on Grindr. The app informed him it was due to ‘impersonation”: “Your account has been reported as impersonating someone else. To continue using Grindr, please verify your account.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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sigh. pic.twitter.com/lT0W8oIo2O
— michael chakraverty (@mschakraverty) August 16, 2021
Many were quick to make puns.
They’ve never had a problem with master baking before
— SHANE REACTION (@imshanereaction) August 16, 2021
Guess you’ll be avoiding soggy bottoms for a while then 🤷🏻♂️
— Jordan. 🏳️🌈 (@JordanTaylr) August 17, 2021
what is it like to be The no.1 michael chakraverty impersonator?
— ffi ♡s mariner (@starlightsloki) August 16, 2021
There’s a verification joke here about getting some big tick but I’m too tired to piece it together
— matt horwood (@matthewhorwood) August 17, 2021
Verify this man @Grindr , he just trying to get that vitamin D 🧍🏻♀️
— ve 🌿✨ (she/her) (@v_atreides) August 16, 2021
Chakraverty is not the first person with a public profile to face this sort of problem. Actor and comic Brian Jordan Alvarez shared how he was accused of “catfishing” on Grindr last year for sending his photos to other users (who presumed he was a fake).
Bob The Drag Queen has previously said he was banned from Grindr after being accused of impersonating…. Bob The Drag Queen. Andy Cohen also told Ellen DeGeneres in 2018 he was chucked off a dating app (but not naming which one), for impersonation.
Related: Andy Cohen banned from Grindr
Since his time on the show in 2019, Chakraverty has written regularly for the UK’s Metro newspaper and hosted his own Menkind podcast. He’s currently in training for the London marathon, which takes place in six weeks.
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Cam
He was together with another contestant after the show. Looks like the broke up. A shame.
Essie
If he plans to run a marathon in six weeks he had better get into shape ASAP. Otherwise, it can be very dangerous,
xtian2020
Love Michael’s pic/comment about struggling to accept his body & I can relate. Congrats to him for training to run the London Marathon & good luck! To any haters who would shame him for how he looks…Suck it, bitches! I’m a 14-time marathoner & countless other half-marathons and road races, yet have always also had fat on my body (um, because I’m a human being as well).