Georgia Toffolo – who was crowned this year’s ‘Queen of the Jungle’ earlier this month – sparked ire online when viewers realised that she had been applying foundation in the jungle, as celebrities who appear on the show are usually banned from taking any beauty products in with them.

In a frank new interview, though, Toffolo has explained that using cosmetics gives her a much-needed sense of control over her appearance.

Speaking to The Sun, she said: “I honestly wouldn’t have been able to look any of my campmates in the eye if I didn’t have my make-up on.

“When producers told me it was banned I broke down in tears and said, ‘I can’t do this.’”

While Toffolo recognises that wearing make-up isn’t the same thing as having a positive self-image, she admits that her esteem takes a dive without it – which can, in turn, trigger feelings of anxiety.

“I’ve been to the doctors so much over the years. It’s a medical problem and I’ve been on strong tablets for six months trying to get rid of them,” she said.

“So show bosses agreed that, because it was a medical problem, I was allowed to put foundation on once a day in the morning.”

Toffolo added: “I wish I could walk around with no make-up on but I have big angry red marks all down the side of my cheeks. Some people don’t understand how badly it affects my confidence and upsets me.”

Many have praised Toffolo for her honesty, with one tweeting: “As someone who suffers with a skin condition, I sympathise with Toff.

“A young woman should feel confident and if make-up helps her to feel that way, then that should not be a problem”

Of course, studies have long shown that wearing make-up can help some women feel more positive about themselves. In June, researchers from Harvard Medical School in the US and Italy’s University of Chieti published a study into the “lipstick effect” on female undergraduate students.

They found that wearing make-up appeared to be connected to higher academic achievement in young women, with students who applied make-up performing better in a series of tests than those who didn’t.

Of course, it’s worth noting that unrealistic beauty expectations most likely contribute to the impact cosmetics can have upon our self-esteem: if a woman is pressured by society to look a certain way and feels that she doesn’t, it makes perfect sense that she would use all of the tools at her disposal to help her to ‘correct’ this.

Whatever her reasons, though, a woman should be allowed to choose whether or not she wants to wear make-up without fearing criticism from anyone. Simple as.

Images: Rex Features