Stacey Dooley took her baby to a brothel in Nevada
The broadcaster, 38, recalled the story in an interview about balancing motherhood and professional life at the Hay literary festival in Powys, south Wales, alongside fellow journalist Emma Barnett.
Dooley, whose book Dear Minnie: Conversations with Remarkable Mothers was published in March, said: 'There's nowhere that child hasn't been.
'When she was eight months', Dooley said, 'we had this gig in the diary to go to the States to make a documentary about this legal brothel in Nevada.
'I'd sort of signed the contract and was like: oh, she'll be eight months, that'll be fine. I'll be fine to go to a legal brothel in Nevada!
'Anyway, the trip comes, and I'm nowhere near comfortable leaving her so I take my eight-month-old child to this brothel in Nevada.
'I have to ask the sheriff for special permission, because she's under 18. It sounds like a comedy sketch, but it's legit!
'I have to then rent a trailer to put [my child] in. Her dad stays in this trailer with Minnie looking out the window while I'm filming and then going back to the trailer to breastfeed Minnie, and all the girls [working at the brothel] are like: 'Morning Miss Minnie!'
'I'm like: she'll be open minded if nothing else!'
Campaigner for gender equality
Nevada is the only US state that allows legal prostitution in the form of regulated brothels.
Dooley has been a campaigner for gender equality since she began her career as a documentary filmmaker with the BBC.
She chose to focus one of her first films, in 2010, on sex slavery in Cambodia.
Dooley has been in a relationship with dancer Kevin Clifton since 2019 after the two were paired up on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018, where she was the winning contestant.
Asked for her views on the shifting language around motherhood, such as terms like 'chestfeeding', Ms Dooley said: 'For me, I suppose I always try and prioritise other people's feelings.
'And I've also had to be aware that even when having these kinds of conversations, I don't want to ever equate motherhood to womanhood. That's something I'm really clear about.
'I don't think becoming a mum means you're any more of a woman or any less of a woman.
'So for me, it's all about trying to be aware of people's opinions, and you know what their preferences would be while talking about my experiences.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
I played in the NFL. Outrage over male cheerleaders is really about attempts to control masculinity
Of all the existential threats facing professional football – concussions that erode the minds of players, scandals that rot institutions from within, dwindling youth interest in a sport built on collision and control – who could've predicted that what would truly rattle some fans was the sight of two men dancing on the sideline? Earlier this month, the Minnesota Vikings unveiled their newly minted 35-member cheerleading squad with a bold promotional video captioned, 'The next generation of cheer has arrived!' It wasn't just the choreography that caught attention, but the fact that two male performers, Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn, were part of the group. Almost immediately, reactions erupted online, from heartfelt support to calls for a boycott, and even a homophobic slur wielded by a former NFL player whose name deserves no mention in this or any other reputable publication. Amid the storm, the Vikings stood firm. And rightly so. After all, Minnesota is no stranger to innovators who challenge convention. This is the home of Prince, a man who wore high heels, embraced gender ambiguity, and redefined masculinity. In an official statement, the Vikings reminded everyone that male cheerleaders –whose number include former US presidents – are nothing new, not only at the amateur and collegiate levels but also in the NFL itself. As of the 2025 season, at least 11 NFL teams include male cheerleaders on their official squads, the first being the Los Angeles Rams back in 2018, when Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies made history on the sidelines and later performed at the Super Bowl in 2019. The Minnesota Vikings also reminded people that Shiek and Conn earned their spots through the same competitive process as their peers, much like we football players compete and earn our spots on the roster. I was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2015, and I've been in those locker rooms where the pressure to perform as an athlete, teammate and man can feel overwhelming. The one thing that wasn't on my mind or any other player's mind was the cheerleaders. Not because they weren't talented. Not because they didn't belong. But because during the game, while they performed on the sidelines or at half-time, we were in huddles, making adjustments on the sidelines, giving our all on the field, or processing and schemes in the locker rooms for the next half. Everyone out there has a job to do, and the cheerleaders are no exception. They're not there for the players. They're there for the fans. Which means they should reflect all the fans. The people expressing outrage over male cheerleaders on the Vikings aren't talking about work ethic, talent or dedication. Their complaints are even more baseless than the Monday Morning Quarterbacks – a term created to address those who criticize players with the benefit of hindsight. This isn't about performance at all. It's about presence. It's about the mere existence and visibility of men on NFL cheer squads who don't conform to the rigid, outdated ideas of masculinity that so many use sport, and football in particular, to defend. What this backlash really reveals is not fear of change, but fear of visibility. The outrage over male cheerleaders isn't about sports. It's about control: over masculinity, over image, and over who gets to be seen and celebrated in public spaces or on the global stage of the NFL. It's the same impulse that drives anti-LBGTQ+ legislation, the same fear that fuels book bans, bathroom bills, and attacks on drag performers. This moment isn't isolated; it's part of a broader cultural backlash to liberation. And just as Christian nationalism has long been weaponized to marginalize queer people, so too has sport. Sport is used to draw lines around what's 'American' and 'man enough'. But those lines were never drawn for protection; they were drawn for power. The truth is, football isn't as rugged as society would like us to believe. The power of sport is in its intimacy; its emotional extremity. In the way players and fans alike grieve, cry, pray, dance, and embrace under the lights and flags, and banners. The locker room is one of the few places in American culture where men are allowed to be vulnerable, broken, weep, and to hug in celebration, speak with peers across all cultures and generations, and build themselves up again. When you peel back the helmets and hits, you'll see what's always been there: joy, vulnerability, brotherhood, and the undeniable truth that masculinity isn't fixed, it's fluid. And that's not changing. Shiek, Conn, and every male cheerleader across the league aren't just cheering for a team. They're cheering for possibility, for the next generation of boys who want to move their bodies with pride, for the kids who don't see themselves in shoulder pads but still belong in the stadium. Sport isn't sacred because it resists change. It's sacred because it brings people together, and the more inclusive that togetherness becomes, the more powerful the game will be.
BreakingNews.ie
31 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
BBC says Ozzy Osbourne documentary was delayed to respect ‘family's wishes'
The BBC has said it delayed airing a new documentary about late Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne in order to respect his 'family's wishes'. Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home was due to be shown on BBC One at 9pm on Monday but was replaced with an episode of Fake Or Fortune? with the broadcaster saying the documentary had been 'moved in the schedules'. Advertisement In a statement on Tuesday, a BBC spokesperson said: 'Our sympathies are with the Osbourne family at this difficult time. We are respecting the family's wishes to wait a bit longer before airing this very special film. Osbourne died last month aged 76. Photo: Yui Mok/PA. 'The new TX (transmission) date will be confirmed shortly.' The hour-long documentary will show the late singer reuniting with the band on stage as part of the Back To The Beginning farewell concert in Birmingham, which he died just weeks later, aged 76, on July 22 from a reported heart attack. The film was originally conceived as a series, announced in 2022 and called Home To Roost, and was to document Osbourne and his wife Sharon's move back from the US, where they had lived for more than two decades, to rural Buckinghamshire. Advertisement But the project 'evolved as Ozzy's health deteriorated' into the one-hour film, the BBC said. The documentary sees the story of the concert told through 'unique and intimate access to the whole Osbourne family', including Sharon, and their children Kelly and Jack. Birmingham paid tribute to Osbourne after his death aged 76. Photo: Jacob King/PA. It was filmed over three years and 'captures the extraordinary rollercoaster of their lives' as the famous couple 'attempt to complete their long-held dream of moving back to the UK', the BBC has said. Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home also captures the musician as he 'heroically battles to get fit enough to perform' and the family dealing with 'the dramatic consequences of his ill health', with Kelly quoted as saying in the film: 'Iron Man wasn't really made of iron.' Advertisement The rocker had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019. Last month, fans gathered alongside Osbourne's family to pay tribute to the star as a funeral cortege travelled through Birmingham. Sharon and the couple's children could be seen wiping away tears when they arrived at the Black Sabbath bench, where thousands of tributes, balloons and flowers were left. Musicians from Bostin Brass played Black Sabbath songs to accompany the cortege, and fans threw flowers at the hearse as it passed slowly through the city. Advertisement
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Wendy Williams looks in good spirits as she steps out for dinner in NYC after responding to shocking dementia test results
Wendy Williams looked in good spirits as she arrived at Tucci restaurant in New York City for a meal on Saturday. The former daytime TV queen, 61, was all smiles as she was escorted into the venue by the restuarant owner Max Tucci. Wendy cut a stylish figure for the outing as she donned a white shirt dress and cinched her waist with a grey belt. The TV star also wore a pair of white trainers and carried her things in a large tan handbag. Wendy has been living at a luxury assisted-living facility in New York since being placed under court-ordered guardianship in 2022. The broadcaster was diagnosed in 2023 with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia, but she insists she's not incapacitated and wants out of the guardianship, claiming she's being controlled against her will. Results from her new medical evaluation — described as involving 'a significant number of tests, both medical and neuropsychological, and scans including brain imaging' — prompted doctors to issue an opinion regarding Williams' neurological condition and diagnosis, according to legal documents obtained by People on Tuesday. While the paperwork itself does not explicitly list her condition, sources claimed the exams confirmed Williams has frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and aphasia - and now she has issued a retort to the allegation. She declared on Saturday that her attorneys were 'highly upset' about the recent coverage surrounding her present state of health, via Page Six. Wendy was also asked if she wanted to say anything to her guardian Sabrina Morrissey, but replied only that 'I want to say hi to my attorneys, Allan Diamond and Joe Tacopina. And I will get out of guardianship.' She made the remarks while arriving for dinner at Tucci's. In the new documents, an attorney representing Morrissey requested that the court extend the guardianship for an additional three months, setting a proposed end date of November 5. The attorney also noted that 'complications have arisen' because various parties — including counsel for certain family members, Wendy's ex-husband, and others — have indicated plans to challenge both the guardianship itself and Ms. Morrissey's role as guardian. The news came almost a month after Wendy and powerhouse attorney Joe Tacopina were spotted outside Scott's restaurant in NYC, where they confirmed a lawsuit is coming. 'Those responsible for her status, her, basically, incarceration, will be held accountable,' Tacopina told TMZ. 'There's no question about that.' He didn't hold back, adding: 'This guardian process is scary. She was misdiagnosed.' 'What's next is hopefully justice,' Tacopina continued. 'This process has been so long, it's really despicably slow.' Then, gesturing toward Wendy, he added, 'This is Wendy, the same Wendy, we've had conversation over six months, she's the same Wendy Williams that you know from TV. She belongs in a facility like I belong in a facility.' 'She is a person in control of her faculties and is a great human being… and it sickens me… this isn't a case for me, it's a cause…' Wendy jumped in with a laugh, saying, 'I just had a birthday and I'm still in a guardianship. If that doesn't say enough, I don't know what does.' Tacopina wrapped it up with a clear mission: 'My goal for now and the priority is to get her back home.' He added, 'Wherever home is… where she can come and go as she pleases.' Wendy was placed under the guardianship of Sabrina Morrissey in 2022—and in a bombshell court filing last November, Morrissey claimed Williams was 'permanently incapacitated' due to her dementia battle. In March, Wendy made a bold move by retaining a new legal team to fight for her freedom and challenge the court-ordered arrangement. The star hired Tacopina - who recently represented A$AP Rocky - to help secure her freedom from her three-year conservatorship. Since then, a #FreeWendy movement has gained momentum. In a dramatic moment caught on camera in early April, Williams was seen banging on her facility window while supporters rallied in the street below, demanding she be released.
