The advertising watchdog has launched a formal investigation into a Setanta TV ad featuring Des Lynam after complaints that it degrades women by referring to breasts as "puppies".
Setanta's "Setanta Claus" ad features Lynam dressed in a yellow Santa suit in a grotto, while his scantily clad helper "Tinseltoes" - Big Brother's Thaila Zucchi - flashes her cleavage.
This prompts a male visitor to the grotto to grin, stare and absentmindedly mention a "couple of puppies".
The Advertising Standards Authority, which has been considering for the last week whether the ad warrants a full investigation, has so far received 34 complaints about clip since it launched on December 1.
Setanta's TV ad, created by Big Al's Creative Emporium, is scheduled to run on terrestrial and multichannel TV networks including ITV1, ITV2 and ITV4, Channel 4 and Channel Five until Friday, December 21.
Complainants objected that the ad was offensive and degrading to women because of the use of the word "puppies" as a reference to breasts.
Others argued that the ad was sexist, objectified women and ran at inappropriate times of the day for such content to be shown.
Clearcast, the new name for the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre, has only given the ad an "ex-kids" restriction regarding which programmes the ad can run around.
This means that the only time it has been deemed inappropriate to air is around kids' TV programmes and shows that have a "particular appeal" to young children.
