Lily Collins' husband Charlie McDowell has hit back at "hateful" comments after the couple shared the news that they have welcomed their first baby via surrogate.
Emily in Paris star Lily, 35, posted about their new arrival on social media, yesterday, sharing the adorable infant's name, Tove Jane. The actress, who is the daughter of Genesis frontman Phil Collins, wrote on Friday: "Welcome to the center of our world Tove Jane McDowell. Words will never express our endless gratitude for our incredible surrogate and everyone who helped us along the way. We love you to the moon and back again…"
But while the comments section was flooded with well-wishes, some followers took the opportunity to leave unkind remarks about Lily and Charlie's baby news. One wrote: "Surrogacy harms impoverished women. People unable to conceive have the option of adopting millions of children that don’t have homes. Renting the uteruses of women is immoral and should not be legal."
Another added: "You're not a Mother, you're a buyer!" While a third penned: "Motherhood is not a human right, there are other options to have a child like adoption!! Babies CAN'T be bought!!"
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@lilyjcollins/instagram)But on reading the critical views of some fans, director and screenwriter Charlie, 41, swooped in to defend his and Lily's decision to use a surrogate. He swiped back: "In regards to the unkind messages about surrogacy and our path to having a baby— it’s ok to not be an expert on surrogacy."
Charlie continued: "It’s ok to not know why someone might need a surrogate to have a child. It’s ok to not know the motivations of a surrogate regardless of what you assume. And it’s ok to spend less time spewing hateful words into the world, especially in regards to a beautiful baby girl who has brought a lot of love into people’s lives. That’s all for now because she just pooped and I need to change her diaper."
Lily, who married Charlie in 2021, replied with a series of love-heart emojis, while other fans praised his "perfect" response to the couple's "insensitive" critics. Although Charlie didn't elaborate on the reasons behind their reasons for choosing surrogacy, Lily has been open in the past about suffering with an eating disorder. The actress candidly admitted previously that her desire to become a mother spurred her on in her recovery.
Even so, people who have a history of eating disorders have been found to have a higher rate of miscarriage or other pregnancy complications. A 2006 study also found that past eating disorders can increase the risk of relapse in those who are in recovery.
Speaking to US Weekly in 2017, Lily shared her anxieties around starting a family, saying: "Everyone has a different form of recovery. I never had an ‘aha’ moment. My reason to finally start talking about [my eating disorder] was the moment I realised I wanted a family. I wanted kids. I didn’t want this to be something I bring into that."
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English (US) ·