The wearing of real fur is a contentious issue in today's society as the rise of veganism has increased awareness of animal rights.
Now, reality star Lauren Goodger, 36, has found herself in hot water after selling a real fur coat for charity.
The Towie star sold the real fox fur coat on Instagram, where she explained to her followers that it was worth £4,000 but she would be accepting £1,000.
Alongside an image of the coat, she wrote: "Vintage fur long brown/caramel red fox coat item not my own .. was given by a friends [sic] mother when she passed worth 4k sale 1k."
Advert
However, despite the fact that the item was inherited and hadn't been personally bought by Goodger, a lot of people took umbrage with the coat.
One slammed: "This needs to go in the bin."
"How about sell it and donate the money to animal rescue… win-win [sic]," suggested a second commentator while a third wrote: "This needs to be set fire to !!! [sic]"
As reported by the government, fur farms were banned in England and Wales in 2000 and in Scotland in 2002, however, it remains legal to sell fur coats.
Following the backlash, Goodger's representatives told the MailOnline that she was donating the money to an animal charity - and this was always her intention.
She also asserted that she never personally wore the coat and doesn't condone the wearing of real fur garments.
This criticism of the reality star follows a difficult year for the 36-year-old, who tragically lost her daughter, Lorena, shortly after she was born in July.
"This has been the most traumatic experience of my life," she said at the time.
She explained that Lorena, who was her second child, looked 'like she was sleeping' and added: "I thought she'd wake up."
Goodger explained that she decided to publicly speak about the loss in a bid to help anyone else in a similar situation.
"I want to talk about her death to help other parents out there going through this," she said. "I want them to know they aren't alone."
Goodger has also raised money for baby loss charity The Lullaby Trust and completed a walk back in October to help support them.
Tyla has reached out to Lauren Goodger's representatives for further comment.
If you have been affected by the death of a baby, help and support is available from the charity Sands, who you can call on 0808 164 3332 or email [email protected].
Topics: Celebrity
Emma Guinness