A deaf woman says she was mocked by star comedian Jimmy Carr at a Kent show and left feeling “absolutely insulted”.

Carly Ahlen, from Dartford, claims the 8 Out of 10 Cats host made “vile” jokes about people who share her disability when he performed at the town’s Orchard West theatre.

The 46-year-old, who was left profoundly deaf following a stint in the army, says she is disappointed the stand-up was using his platform to “put down those who have a tough life”.

Ms Ahlen says Mr Carr - who is well-known for his controversial quips and “roasting” audience members - noticed her in the front row with a beret on and asked why she was wearing it.

She told KentOnline: “I used my right hand to lift my beret, exposing my hearing aid and hoping he was at least a decent guy and would move on, knowing I was deaf.

“It didn’t work. It had the opposite effect as I was like a sitting deaf duck now.”

The wildlife rescue specialist says that towards the end of the show she was looking at her iPhone as she was using a transcribing app to keep track of what Mr Carr was saying.

Again referencing her beret, she says he asked her if she was “going to call for backup from the French resistance”.

Ms Ahlen said: “Then he was talking about how you can say anything about deaf people because they can’t hear you!

“I was shocked - this isn’t comedy!”

Ms Ahlen, who runs Dartford-based Gabo Wildlife, says she was lost for words following the exchange last Thursday.

“Comedy is an amazing tool for progressive change yet Jimmy decided to use his platform to put down those who have a tough life,” she said.

“There’s a joke and then there’s absolutely insulting. It’s vile to the deaf community.

“It’s just not acceptable. He doesn’t need to do that – he’s rich enough.

“I’ve spent far too long feeling miserable and ashamed of my hearing loss because of the incorrect stigma attached to it.”

Hi Kent, a charity which helps people in the county with hearing loss, said it was sorry to hear of Ms Ahlen’s experience.

A spokesperson said: “We at Hi Kent do all we can to promote inclusion and understanding of the challenges faced by living with hearing loss and do not condone any lack of understanding for people living with this ‘invisible’ disability.”

Ms Ahlen did not complain to the theatre but has written to the British Deaf Association raising her concerns.

It’s not the first time Mr Carr has courted controversy with a style of comedy at times designed to shock.

YouTube videos on the comedian’s account with titles such as ‘10 times Jimmy absolutely and brutally destroyed his audience’ have been watched millions of times.

But he is sometimes accused of overstepping the mark, such as in 2022 when he made comments about the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community for a Netflix special.

The then-culture secretary Nadine Dorries called that particular joke "abhorrent" and Irish Traveller Martin Ward from Gravesend was among those demanding an apology from Mr Carr.

He has also previously joked about deafness. During a show in 2018, he told the audience he had received a number of complaints for saying: “Deafness is getting to be quite a problem for me… and I never thought I’d hear myself say that.”

The gig in Dartford which Ms Ahlen attended was a work-in-progress show in which the 51-year-old was testing out new material.

His upcoming tour, titled Laughs Funny, kicks off in May with two performances at Folkestone’s Leas Cliff Hall.

The stand-up will then visit towns all over the country, including the Churchill Theatre in Bromley, the Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells and the Central Theatre in Chatham.

Jimmy Carr’s management team was contacted for comment.

The Orchard Theatre declined to comment on the matter.

Being profoundly deaf means that you cannot hear sounds below 95 decibels. The typical volume of speech is around 60 decibels.