Harvey Weinstein 'flirted' with Brit actress Hayley Atwell, before calling her a 'fat pig' and 'ordering her to diet'

He’s been sacked from his own company after being accused of harassing female employees .

And now it’s been claimed that film producer Harvey Weinstein once flirted with British actress Hayley Atwell, before calling her a “fat pig” and ordering her to go on a diet.

But upon hearing about the alleged incident, her costar and all-round legend Emma Thompsonapparently confronted Weinstein and threatened to quit the film if he did anything like that again.

Weinstein’s comments were apparently made on the North Yorkshire set of a 2007 adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, in which Hayley, then 24, was a breakout star.

According to the New York Post , Weinstein “started flirting with the actress, who was clearly nervous, starring one of her first major roles.”

And when the cast and crew sat down for lunch, the report claims the 65-year-old urged the Captain America star to eat less, telling her, “You look like a fat pig on screen.”

However, when she told Emma, the 58-year-old reportedly “flipped” and told Weinstein that if she got wind of him forcing Hayley or anyone else to go on a diet then she would quit.

“Emma called Harvey out for being a misogynist and a bully and really gave him a hard time,” the source added, explaining that Weinstein then backed down.

Hayley, 35, has previously opened up about being pressured to lose weight for the movie.

“I went round to Emma’s one night and she was getting very angry that I wasn’t eating all the food she was giving me. I told her why and she hit the roof,” she told First Post back in 2008.

And Emma has also previously shared her views on the situation, telling Swedish chat show Skavlan, "There was a wonderful actress in a film I did called Brideshead Revisited. The producer said to her, 'Will you lose some weight?' And she was absolutely exquisite.

"I said to them, 'If you speak to her about this again, on any level, I will leave this picture. You are never to do that.’"

It comes after the Weinstein Company's board of directors announced that he's been sacked with immediate effect "in light of new information about misconduct".

The Hollywood studio had launched an inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment concerning the Academy Award-winning producer, who is one of its founders.

A statement from the Weinstein Company Board of Representatives said: "In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company - Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar - have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately."

Weinstein, who was co-chairman of the studio, had previously announced he was taking leave of absence after claims were made by women with whom he had worked.

Those involved include Kiss The Girls star Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan, who appeared in films including Scream, according to a piece published by the New York Times.

The producer issued an apology, saying he appreciated the way he had behaved with colleagues in the past "has caused a lot of pain" and that he realised he "needed to be a better person".

"I came of age in the 60s and 70s, when all the rules about behaviour and workplaces were different. That was the culture then," the 65-year-old said.

"I have since learned it's not an excuse, in the office - or out of it. To anyone."

His lawyer Lisa Bloom announced on Saturday that she had resigned following the allegations.

The money and the power behind some of the biggest Hollywood films of the past 25 years, Weinstein and brother Bob founded Miramax in 1979, building it into a major Hollywood player before selling it to Disney in 1993.

They continued to work for the firm until 2005 when they quit to set up the Weinstein Company, which spawned hits including The King's Speech, Django Unchained and Silver Linings Playbook.