Lorraine star admits The Salt path scandal left readers feeling 'duped'

Lorraine stars have weighed in on The Salt Path controversy as author Raynor Winn said she’s living through some of the "hardest days" of her life.

ITV guests Nicola Thorp and Lucy Cave discussed the storm surrounding Winn’s memoir during their Thursday morning (July 10) appearance on the morning talk show.

Thorp gave a little background on the latest developments with the novel, telling viewers: "Lots of drama surrounding this story but she [Winn] has come out and she has said in a statement that the last few days have been ‘some of the hardest of my life’.

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"She clarified that the book is, and I quote, ‘not about every event and moment in our lives, but rather about a capsule of time when our lives moved from a place of complete despair to a place of hope’. Lots of readers though, felt a bit duped, potentially, about what they were told in that story."

The scandal erupted after The Observer published an investigation into Winn’s memoir last weekend. The Salt Path became a huge hit when it was first released in 2018. It tells the moving story of how Winn and her husband, Moth, lost their home and decided to embark on a 630-mile hike along the South West Coast Path.

In the book Winn opens up about the physical and emotional challenges they both faced during that time in their life, including Moth’s diagnosis with a debilitating neurological disease, corticobasal degeneration (CBD).

However, The Observer has raised questions about the events depicted in the memoir. According to the newspaper, legal documents suggested the couple did not lose their home because of a failed business venture the way the book describes, but their home was actually repossessed after Winn was accused of embezzling thousands of pounds from her employer.

The report also cited medical experts who expressed scepticism over whether Moth’s diagnosis and apparent recovery were consistent with the symptoms of CBD. Winn has firmly denied fabricating any part of her story.

Lucy Cave speculated about the reason why this has caused so much outrage among people who were originally fans of the memoir, responding to Thorp saying: "Everyone is completely obsessed and hooked with this story. I guess like you said there's people who absolutely loved the book.

"It seemed like a real life-affirming story of resilience. I think in this day and age people just really want authenticity so I think when they feel they're being tricked, it's not well received."

Winn took to Instagram on Wednesday with evidence of medical letters addressed to her husband Timothy Walker, which she said confirmed his ongoing treatment for CBD.

The author told followers: "Heartbreaking accusations that Moth has made up his illness have been made, leaving us devastated." In a statement on her website, Winn labelled the Observer's investigation into her novel "grotesquely unfair" and "highly misleading", insisting the memoir was never intended to be a complete autobiography.

Despite the author’s defence, there has been a significant fallout from the investigation. PSPA, a charity supporting those with CBD and similar conditions, has severed its relationship with Winn and her husband. Meanwhile, planned summer appearances as part of her Saltlines tour have also been cancelled.

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