Karen Millen breastfeeding controversy: ‘Selfish' remark sparks outrage and apology
As you may have seen all over your Instagram feeds yesterday, Karen Millen's comments on breastfeeding have faced huge backlash.
Speaking on Channel 5 talk show, Vanessa, hosted by Vanessa Waltz, the designer was asked about her opinion on whether it's OK to breastfeed a three-year-old child. 'There's no benefit, is there, for a child to be breastfed beyond six months really,' she responded. 'I think it's quite a selfish thing on the mother's part.'
When asked to explain what she meant, she said: 'I just think that's not good emotionally for that child. I mean, what does that child do later in life? The attachment – like you say it becomes an addiction and an addiction for that child too because they only know the boob.
'It's just not normal is it? I'm sorry, I find it very weird.'
The NHS advises that those who can and want to should breastfeed exclusively for the first six months, then continue to breastfeed for two years and beyond, alongside giving their child other foods. It also lists the benefits of breastfeeding as:
protecting your baby from diseases and infections;
being free, convenient and always ready to use – you don't need to sterilise bottles and teats;
being one way of helping you bond with your baby.
It can also reduce the mother's risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, osteoporosis (weak bones), cardiovascular disease and obesity, it says. However, breastfeeding is a very personal choice, and those who don't breastfeed also have healthy babies and bodies.
What's not OK is judging someone elses choice, as the backlash to Millen's comments has made clear. 'I feel more and more furious every time I hear that clip,' wrote Danielle Facey, aka @TheBreastfeedingMentor. 'I loved nursing my son for around three years, despite being shamed by all and sundry. But it was not about me – it was always about him.'
Chessie King, content creator and founder of Welcome To Babyhood, also posted about the topic, saying she was 'flabbergated': 'I breastfed [her daughter] Auraelia for 11 months & let me tell you, it was the opposite of selfish. My milkshake makers were pumped with love & *patience*'Whether you did for 1 day, 6 months, 3 years or not at all, breastfeeding is SELFLESS not selfish.'
In response, Karen has apologised for her comments. According to The Independent, she posted on social media (in a post that is no longer visible), saying: 'The question was aimed at a three-year-old being breastfed and my thoughts on that and my answers reflected that, not the subject of breastfeeding. And as a woman to women, I do respect your choices and I do want to support you.'
Whatever you do, remember you know best about what's right for you and your baby.
You Might Also Like
13 Buys To Help You Feel Great From £5
16 Speedo Swimsuits that Won't Flash Your Bum When Getting Swim-fit
11 Best Gym Trainers for Different Types of Workouts
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Owners Come Up With Plan To Stop Cat Going on Top of Refrigerator—Backfires
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A cat owner's attempt to stop their feline from climbing on the refrigerator has spectacularly backfired, leaving internet users in stitches. Loki's owners said in a viral Instagram video shared in March under the username @ that, to stop their feline's habit of climbing atop the refrigerator, they decided to place something he really hates up there, hoping to keep him away, but they did not anticipate his next move. "So, to stop you going up there, we put that bed up there, because you hated that bed. You're now kneading in it," the poster can be heard telling Loki, as he looks at him in the eyes while continuing to make biscuits on his once-hated bed. "Look at the cheek of it! So, all of a sudden, you love that bed now because it's all the way up there. You're a naughty boy!" the poster continues. Cats are natural climbers, and there are several reasons behind this behavior, according to Doylestown Veterinary Hospital in Pennsylvania. Felines are both predators and prey, and climbing offers them a useful advantage. When the cats are up high, they have a better view of their surroundings, which is helpful for spotting prey such as mice or birds, which they instinctively hunt. Climbing also provides an escape when they feel threatened, especially if there is a dog or another animal nearby, so, to feel safe, they look for the highest spot to hide. For indoor cats, vertical spaces are very important to help them feel calm and relaxed, and more connected to their environment. Cat behaviorist Anita Kelsey says owners must always ensure their indoor cats have means to release energy that would otherwise be released outdoors. She adds that climbing pole and shelves can be a fun activity that also keeps them in good shape. Stock image: A domestic cat sits on top of a refrigerator, looking at the camera. Stock image: A domestic cat sits on top of a refrigerator, looking at the camera. getty images The video quickly went viral on social media and has so far received over 4.3 million views and more than 249,000 likes on the platform. One user, Hols_79, commented: "The thing I love best about cats doing something naughty is how they always look you dead in the eye while they're doing it." Arielleshorr said: "He's so happy you finally caught onto what he wanted." Newsweek reached out to @ for comment via Instagram message. We could not verify the details of the case. Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Model Sara Levitt wants to be the first Miss Universe Canada with an ostomy bag: 'A difference can be a superpower'
Sara Levitt's career is breaking barriers and increasing visibility for people living with Crohn's disease. The Montréal-born model has walked New York Fashion Week and appeared in Maxim Australia with her ostomy bag — a pouch attached to the abdomen that collects bodily waste — proudly on display. At 30, she's blending her career in fashion with her advocacy work. She's focusing on raising awareness for people living with invisible illnesses and empowering others to live without shame. Yahoo Canada spoke to Levitt about living with a chronic illness and her next career move. Levitt has been battling Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) for the majority of her life. She was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of three, and by the time she turned 11, her condition had progressed to Crohn's Disease. The next two years were some of the 'most intense and challenging' of her life, filled with severe chronic pain and countless hospital stays. 'I was fighting for my life,' she said. 'It was a really dark time and I felt completely alone and ashamed.' In 2008, at the age of 13, Levitt underwent an emergency surgery to have part of her bowel removed. She was left with a permanent ostomy bag, a device she wears on the outside of her body that collects her stool. Going into the surgery, Levitt wondered how she would adapt to living with an ostomy. She dreaded what it would be like to have to carry physical evidence of her illness on her body each day.'There was a piece of me that was hoping I'd wake up and the bag wouldn't be there,' she said. 'When I woke up, I took my right hand, slid it down my hospital gown, and there it was.' Levitt is upbeat and positive about life with an ostomy, but she wasn't always this way. The first 15 years that followed her ostomy surgery were difficult and dark, and she dealt with her new life alone and with shame. She avoided wearing anything that would reveal her ostomy, she hid her bag from romantic partners and she lived in fear of other peoples' opinions. For Levitt, the lack of representation for ostomates — people who have undergone ostomy surgery —contributed to her feeling alone. After years of suffering in silence, Levitt decided she'd had enough; she knew she deserved to live her life to the fullest just as much as anyone else. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sara Levitt | The Bag Bish | Creator & Model (@saralevs) 'It got to the point where I was just so physically and mentally drained,' she said. 'In summer 2023, I had a bit of an epiphany and I was like, 'I feel really confident in who I am and I've been through a lot and I'm ready to just be me.'' At the time, her Instagram was a personal account for friends, family and acquaintances. But after posting the photos, comments and messages began to pour in from other people with chronic illnesses who wanted to express gratitude for what she had done. The response showed Levitt how great the need was for advocacy and representation from ostomates, so she kept posting. Her community grew, and today she has 35,000 followers on Instagram, where she calls herself 'The Bag Bish.' She now wears her ostomy — which she named Liv ('life' in Swedish) — with pride, donning bikinis and dresses that intentionally show off the bag that saved her life. " It's all about me and Liv living our best lives and showing others not to fear ostomy life,' she said. "It's about showing people you can have dreams and having a difference can be a superpower.' She regularly receives messages from people who say she's inspired them to wear a certain outfit that reveals their ostomy or to partake in an experience they would've otherwise avoided, and she does her best to respond to as many as she can. It's about showing people you can have dreams and having a difference can be a superpowerSara Levitt 'To know that I have that ability to alter and change somebody's views and enable them to live their life completely and fully with a visible difference or a chronic illness has given me so much purpose in life,' she said. 'That alone is fuel to my motivation and every single thing that I do.' In May, Levitt announced she was participating in the Miss Universe Canada pageant this August. She'll be the first ostomate, and first woman with any visible difference to compete. In a post to Instagram, Levitt said her hope was to help show "other woman our challenges do not define us, but merely give us an additional source of strength, and that there is space for us all." For her humanitarian project for the pageant, she's raising awareness and funds for the Canadian Mental Health Association, a cause she described as deeply personal to her journey. Her health issues s took a serious toll on Levitt's own mental health for many years, and she hopes to shine a light on how chronic illnesses impact every aspect of a person's life — including their mental health. Research shows that psychiatric disorders are 1.5 to 2 times more prevalent in those with IBD than in the general population, and rates are even higher when considering standalone mental health symptoms, as nearly one-third of individuals with IBD experience elevated anxiety symptoms and one-quarter experience depression symptoms. 'Hopefully I'm able to inspire and touch someone through sharing my story,' she said. 'Just being on that stage and being able to show my community, 'Look where we can go, look what we can do,' it's like we've already got the crown.'
Time Business News
2 hours ago
- Time Business News
Left Waiting and Losing Hope – How One Patient Found Relief Through Releaf UK When the NHS Couldn't Help
Every weekday, almost 13,000 new mental-health referrals land on NHS desks across the United Kingdom—far more than stretched community teams can absorb. For the people behind those forms the delay is not abstract: it means panic attacks unchecked, sleep lost, jobs at risk and, in the worst cases, lives cut short. This article follows one such patient and examines why catching psychiatric illness early is not only humane but also a hard-nosed economic imperative. Britain's Growing Mental-Health Backlog NHS England processed a record 4.6 million mental-health referrals last year, with typical waits of 12 weeks for an assessment and, in some counties, up to 18 months for specialist talking therapies. The Royal College of Psychiatrists warns that one in three people referred for depression will spiral into crisis if left untreated for more than three months. Behind every statistic is a household coping with sleepless nights, cancelled plans and mounting uncertainty. The Cost of Delay: Survival Rates Under Pressure Timely care can be the difference between recovery and tragedy. A Lancet meta-analysis tracking 34,000 adults found that evidence-based treatment within six weeks of diagnosis cut suicide attempts by 45 percent over two years. For first-episode psychosis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence reports a 50 percent improvement in five-year survival when therapy begins within 14 days of referral. These findings highlight how crucial timeliness is to well-being in healthcare, as every extra week on the waiting list chips away at a patient's odds of staying alive. Productivity on the Line: Why Business Leaders Should Care Delays also drain the balance sheet. Deloitte's 2024 UK Mental-Health Report calculated that poor mental health cost employers £59 billion in absenteeism, presenteeism and staff turnover—nearly £1,800 per employee. Organisations that installed early intervention programmes, such as on-site counselling or rapid referral partnerships, saw an average 5:1 return on investment. In manufacturing alone, stress-related absences translate to 12.7 million lost working days each year—enough to halt the entire aerospace sector for four straight weeks. Emma's Story: Fourteen Months in Limbo Emma Hughes, a 29-year-old graphic designer from Leicester, illustrates the human toll. After a sudden bereavement she developed severe anxiety, intrusive thoughts and chronic insomnia. Her GP referred her for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), but the confirmation letter warned of a '40–60-week wait.' Deadlines slipped; sick notes piled up; her self-confidence collapsed. 'Each morning started with a panic attack,' she remembers. By month ten she had exhausted paid leave and faced redundancy. 'I felt invisible—like no one believed how bad it was.' Discovering an Alternate Route Searching for private options, Emma found Releaf's psychiatric care pathway ( a Care Quality Commission-registered clinic offering multidisciplinary assessments within days. Unlike many self-pay services that focus narrowly on prescriptions, Releaf pairs consultant psychiatrists with therapists, nutritionists and sleep specialists. Emma's team designed a stepped-care plan: CBT delivered over secure video, structured sleep-hygiene coaching and, when conventional anxiolytics caused intolerable side-effects, a physician-supervised trial of adjunctive cannabis therapy—a form of cannabinoid treatment tailored to her needs. Six weeks later her sleep stabilised at seven hours a night; by week twelve she had returned to 80 percent of her billable workload. Data on Early Intervention and Workplace Recovery Emma's rapid turnaround echoes wider research. The Centre for Mental Health shows that people receiving comprehensive care within two months of diagnosis are twice as likely to hold a full-time job a year later compared with those who wait more than six months. Replacement costs compound the burden: the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development pegs the expense of replacing a professional-level employee at £30,600, excluding lost expertise. Early psychiatric care therefore functions as a productivity safeguard, not merely a welfare spend. The Emerging Role of Complementary Therapies Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) remain first-line for many disorders, yet growing evidence supports multimodal strategies that include exercise, nutrition and—in specialist settings—medical cannabis for mental health. NICE already endorses cannabinoid medicines for refractory epilepsy and chemotherapy-induced nausea, and pilot studies are exploring benefits for anxiety-related insomnia. For patients like Emma, whose genetics or side-effects rule out standard pharmacology, these adjuncts can mean the difference between chronic disability and daily function. What Swift Access Could Mean for the UK Economy If the NHS achieved its own 28-day referral-to-treatment goal for common mental disorders, economists at the Institute for Public Policy Research estimate a productivity gain of £7.4 billion annually—enough to fund 35,000 additional psychiatric nurses. Meeting that benchmark will require a mixed-economy model in which accredited private providers, including specialized facilities like an addiction treatment center, absorb overflow demand and employers view mental-health budgets as investments. Releaf's rapid-access pathway shows how nimble, multidisciplinary care can slot into that ecosystem, sparing patients the agony of delay and easing pressure on public services alike. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
