Royal baby news: OK! magazine faces boycott over Kate Middleton ...

"Pathetic rot": The cover of the July 30 £1 Royal Baby special has generated a backlash from mums who have condemned its exclusive with the Duchess' trainer

TV presenter Katy Hill is leading an outcry of outraged mums threatening to boycott OK! magazine for a "vile" front cover about Kate's post-baby weight loss.

Hours after she proudly showed off her post-pregnancy bump, the mag hit the shelves boasting of an exclusive "Duchess diet", and revealing how "her stomach will shrink straight back".

Furious parents said those kind of stories heap unfair pressure on mums to instantly lose weight after birth.

Some branded the claims "pathetic rot".

Former Blue Peter presenter Katy Hill, 42, was one of the parents who called on others to boycott the celebrity magazine owned by media tycoon Richard Desmond.

Katy tweeted a picture of her post-birth bump and said: "New mums, if the OK Magazine #Kate cover has made you feel bad, here's me two months post baby. YOU MADE A HUMAN! x"

Happy family: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, depart The Lindo Wing with their newborn son at St Mary's Hospital

Horrified Tamsin Kelly, editor of the Parentdish website for mums and dads, said: "For this magazine cover to be in UK shops on the same day Kate left hospital with her newborn baby is contemptible."

She added: "For many TV and film stars being thin is part of their job, how they continue to get roles and make money - and therefore the rush to get back 'in shape' in an absurdly short amount of time is presented as a positive. It's not.

"It's unrealistic for the vast majority of new mothers, who simply don't need this sort of media pressure - the Duchess of Cambridge included."

OK! bosses issued an apology last night amid the furious backlash.

The NHS advises that mums should give themselves time to recover from labour, with at least six weeks before embarking on any diet. Starting a diet too soon can delay recovery and leave tired mums even more wiped out. Those who breastfeed should leave it two months, as dieting can affect the milk supply.

The mag's cover bragged about having talked to Kate's trainer about the duchess's weight loss regime.

It also promised the details of Kate's "diet and shape-up plan".

[ View the story "Ok! cover story on Kate's 'post baby weight loss regime' sparks Twitter backlash" on Storify]

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As the campaign to stop buying OK! gathered momentum, Paula Rawshorne tweeted: "Why do magazines aimed at women seem to hate them so much? #DontBuyOk (not that I ever would!)". And Jo Sharpen said: "Vile front page from @OK_Magazine. They should be ashamed. Why is our society so weight obsessed?"

Many people were annoyed that the magazine ran its story so soon after the duchess had left hospital.

Karen Smith tweeted: "Kate looked stunning, a perfect moment. OK stick with what you do best - crass celebs and Z-listers."

The fury intensified when a tweet appeared that was attributed to the @OK_Magazine account which said: "Anyone else have a 'how many people did she give birth to?' moment there?"

The backlash soon went global with the Hollywoodite website saying: "British OK waits a whole 24 hours before talking about Kate Middleton's baby weight."

A radiant Kate posed for pictures as she left St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, Central London, on Tuesday evening with her newborn son, named yesterday as Prince George of Cambridge.

Mums praised her for not shying away from showing the world her post-birth bump as hundreds of photographers snapped the first pictures of the royal baby.

Netmums founder Siobhan Freegard said Kate was a role model for real mums.

Siobhan added: "In a couple of minutes on the steps of the Lindo Wing, Kate has done more for new mums' self-esteem than any other role model.

"Sadly, too many celebrities often have ultra-fast tummy tucks or strap themselves down to emerge in tiny size six jeans, leaving everyone else feeling inadequate. Kate shows what a real mum looks like - and natural is beautiful."

Last night a spokeswoman for Northern & Shell, which owns the magazine, apologised for the distress that has been caused by its July 30 edition.

The company issued a statement saying: "Kate is one of the great beauties of our age and OK! readers love her.

"Like the rest of the world, we were very moved by her radiance as she and William introduced the Prince of Cambridge to the world. We would not dream of being critical of her appearance. If that was misunderstood because of our cover it was not intended."

The apology was unlikely to wash with the likes of Angela MacAusland who tweeted: "Poor Kate. She literally has only just had the baby and OK magazine are talking about how she's going."

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