Cara Delevingne has challenged Jameela Jamil over her comments about her friend, the fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who died on Tuesday at the age of 85.

The supermodel responded after The Good Place star labelled Lagerfeld a “fat-phobic misogynist” on Twitter just hours after his death was announced.

On Wednesday, Cara appealed to Jameela on Twitter to refrain from painting the designer as a “bad human”.

The two stars then got into a debate on the social media platform, with Cara insisting that any of the designer’s shortcomings “should have been addressed while someone is living, not the day after someone’s death”.

Cara tweeted: “Everyone has their own opinion and I felt the need to voice my own. All I want is for everyone to love each other no matter what.

“Just please understand that it’s an extremely emotional time and we must try use love instead of hate.”

“All of these things should have been addressed while someone is living, not the day after someone’s death”.

In response, Jameela said the exchange was “a really interesting thread between two people with very different views who aren’t trying to win, or be rude, just trying to appeal to the other’s empathy”.

Cara responded: ”@jameelajamil I understand what you were trying to do and I apologize if I offended you or anyone else.

“I just don’t feel that living in the past and bringing up things that have already happened helps anything. Let’s move forward and lead with love. That’s it…”

Jameela replied: “I didn’t find you offensive. I just think it hurts a lot of fat people, and people who he was racist about, and people who were affected by his toxic misogyny, to see someone like that hailed as if he was a saint. We have privilege so he was nice to us. He hurt a lot of people.”

Cara – who previously said her friend’s death had reduced her to tears – said: “It saddens me deeply that anyone was hurt, that I do not condone.

“It is not possible to go through life without hurting people. He was not a saint, he is a human being like all of us who made mistakes and we should all have the chance to be forgiven for that.”

Despite Cara’s protests, Jameela insisted that “we can’t chalk decades of abusive rhetoric towards minorities as ‘being human’ or ‘making mistakes’,” saying that “doing it once as a joke and then apologizing is one thing, doing it again and again in spite of public outcry is a bad human”.

“I’m sorry to speak ill of someone you love,” she added.

Cara replied: “I agree with you but please don’t call him a bad human, that is simply not fair.

“We should be talking about the people alive, in power, ruling the world who are hurting, destroying far more lives than this man who has passed only yesterday.”

Jameela responded: “But Cara, his cruel words weren’t directed at you because you’re thin, and white, and incredibly privileged. So you don’t feel the pain of his bad behavior.

“There is never a good time to talk about this really. So much glory to someone who punched down, frequently. I’m sorry. X.”

Queer Eye star Tan France has also defended Largerfeld, amid the conversation about how Chanel’s creative director has been remembered in the wake of his death. 

Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Tan (the Fab Five’s fashion expert) shared a different take on Karl’s legacy and penchant for “very mean” putdowns. 

“He was a man of a certain age and I think that he thought he could get away with some of his comments,” he told BBC Breakfast. “Some of those comments were very mean, but as far as his work goes, he was incredible.

“He was iconic and he was one of the most influential people in this industry.

“I will forgive him some of his comments because he was so impactful in what he did, and sometimes I think that people of a certain age get a pass if they’re going to make a comment.

“I don’t think it’s wise, but let’s forgive them or explain why it’s not right and move forward… and I won’t speak ill of the dead.”