Entertainment
Myleene Klass reveals ‘phenomenal’ fiance Simon Motson’s shock over breastfeeding backlash
Myleene Klass has praised her fiance Simon Motson for being supportive throughout her breastfeeding their son, hailing him as ‘phenomenal’.
The Dancing On Ice star was subjected to backlash last summer for posting Instagram photos of herself breastfeeding son Apollo, who she shares with Simon.
While motherhood and breastfeeding is always viewed from the woman’s perspective, Myleene has revealed how her partner felt about it all.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk to mark her new Tommee Tippee UK podcast Spill The Milk, Myleene said: ‘He cannot believe it but he’s absolutely phenomenal. He’s definitely part of the change that you want to see.
‘My friends all breastfed around him before we had our baby and I just think that’s brilliant.’
Recalling the early days after she gave birth to Apollo in August 2019, Myleene said: ‘When I first started breastfeeding, my daughters knew to get a jug of water because it’s really thirsty work.
‘The fact that my fiance obviously wasn’t breastfeeding so he would make me healthy food because he knows that otherwise I just wouldn’t get the time to do that.
‘It does take a village… as soon as you become a mum, your needs drop down the list because of course the baby’s needs are met and why wouldn’t they be? But you forget that there’s a mum attached.’
Myleene, 42, admitted that she felt compelled to also look after those around her while juggling breastfeeding.
No doubt like many other mothers, the presenter also felt the stigma of breastfeeding within her family too, explaining: ‘If there were older members of the family around who wouldn’t approve of it and would put other people in positions and you just think, hang on a minute, why do we think that way? Why are we programmed as a society to feel that way?
‘You’re keeping a baby alive. It’s pretty epic what you’re doing sitting in the corner, it’s pretty epic. But to make people feel judged, that’s a really important conversation that we need to be having.’
Myleene’s breastfeeding photo wasn’t removed from Instagram but the social media platform has been known to shut down accounts for doing so.
Sharing her thoughts on the stigma, the former Hear’Say singer said: ‘Tommee Tippee brought on a biracial mum and that’s a positive message and I think that in one fell swoop that does empower those who need to hear it.
‘For me, the fact that you can scroll through so many social media accounts and see things so sexualised which, all power to the women if that’s how they want to represent, but I can see a corset and a bikini without very little trouble.’
Myleene is also mother to daughters Ava, 13, and Hero, nine, from her previous marriage to Graham Quinn.
Myleene Klass is supporting Tommee Tippee UK with its Spill the Milk series (March 2 – April 6) as part of The Boob Life Campaign. A six-part digital content series on @TommeeTippeeuk, Spill the Milk, aims to help inform, inspire and empower mums, giving them the confidence to own their feeding choices without judgement or shame from outdated societal views.
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