Daphne Berry has issued a public apology after making a controversial joke about consuming alcohol while pregnant. The model and influencer, who is 24 weeks pregnant, shared an Instagram post earlier this week showing herself enjoying 'sips of wine' despite expecting a child. The quip, posted on her account, was met with widespread anger and criticism, prompting her to delete the clip and post an apology on Instagram Stories on Thursday.
Apology and Explanation
In her apology, Berry wrote: 'I made a really poor and thoughtless joke, and I understand why it upset people. I'm genuinely sorry to anyone I offended.' She added, 'Not a day goes by I don't count my lucky stars for my life right now and that joke was not a reflection of this. I am truly sorry.' The influencer, who hosts the Airing Your Dirty Laundry podcast and is in a relationship with Lime Cordiale star Oliver Leimbach, had captioned the now-deleted clip: 'Having sips of wine pregnant, because there's literally people that do crack pregnant.'
Social Media Backlash
The post drew strong criticism, with many social media users taking to Reddit to condemn Berry's actions. One user wrote: 'Daphne Berry, girlfriend of Oliver Leimbach, who is currently 24 weeks pregnant, posted and dirty deleted this reel admitting to drinking while pregnant. Keep in mind there's no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant. If she was willing to post this knowing she would most likely receive backlash, who's to say she wouldn't lie about how much she's actually drinking?' Another commented: 'To rationalise it by saying people do crack is wild, how about not exposing your unborn child to a literal poison??' A third added: 'Because there's literally children that are born with and live with foetal alcohol syndrome. I seriously hope she means just a few sips here and there and not actual full size drinks multiple times when she's only 24 weeks.'
Criticism from Health Professionals
The backlash extended to health professionals, with one paediatric nurse expressing anger: 'As a paediatric nurse, I see kids who live with FASD or equivalent - why would you even do this? It's simple – don't drink when pregnant, I don't know how much clearer it can be. I could also guarantee none of the doctors I've ever worked with would recommend any alcohol at any stage of pregnancy, ever. This s*** makes me mad!'
Previous Fertility Struggles
Some commenters noted Berry's previous fertility struggles, suggesting she should be more careful. One wrote: 'You would think after having such a big cry online about struggling to conceive and then acting like she is the only pregnant person on earth that she would be much more careful. Very disappointing to be behaving like this with such a large audience.'
Pregnancy Announcement
Berry revealed in February that she and Oliver were expecting their first child. On Instagram, she shared that they learned the news on Christmas morning: 'We wrapped the pregnancy test up and gave it to both our mums to open as their gift. It was one of the most special moments of our lives.' She admitted pregnancy has been 'challenging,' saying, 'I wasn't prepared for how quickly I would feel sick. I wasn't prepared to suddenly not be able to do the things I love. I wasn't prepared to be mostly confined to bed, watching my body change in what felt like the snap of a finger.' Daily Mail has contacted Berry for comment.
