Advice Columnist: "Cut Your Ex's Face"

Depressed over a breakup? British advice columnist Danny Dyer says the solution is to “cut your ex’s face, and then no one will want her.”

A lovelorn 23-year-old told Dyer he “broke up with my missus a few months ago and can’t seem to get over her.” Dyer’s response:

You’ve got nothing to worry about, son. I’d suggest going out on a rampage with the boys, getting on the booze and smashing anything that moves. Then, when some bird falls for you, you can turn the tables and break her heart. Of course, the other option is to cut your ex’s face, and then no one will want her…

Of course, Dyer’s “Ask Danny” column runs in ZOO magazine, a lad mag not necessarily known for its progressive attitude toward women, but outcry over Dyer’s apparent advocacy of domestic violence has embarrassed even ZOO. A spokesperson for ZOO publisher Bauer Media told the Guardian that the column was the result of a “regrettable production error.” The same explanation was posted on ZOO’s website. And Dyer himself says,

This is totally out of order, I am totally devastated. I have been completely misquoted. This is not the advice I would give any member of the public I do not condone violence against women.

“Misquoted” is an odd word to use to describe your own column — might Dyer, who’s also an actor and TV personality, be admitting he doesn’t write his own copy? The “production error” explanation seems a little far-fetched — did somebody’s hand slip and type “cut your ex’s face?” More likely is that whoever writes Dyer’s column thinks domestic violence jokes are funny. And the editors of “the biggest-selling men’s weekly in the world” either aren’t minding the store, or they think cutting a woman’s face is hilarious too — until they get in trouble, that is.

Danny Dyer Advises Zoo Reader To ‘Cut His Ex’s Face’ [Guardian]
Outrage Over Dyer’s “Advice” [Sun]
ZOO: Magazine Error Apology [ZOO]