New dad Jake Quickenden has been forced to defend his son Leo in a furious social media post after online trolls branded the four-week-old baby “ugly”.
The reality star, who regularly shares adorable snaps of Leo on Instagram after his girlfriend Sophie Church gave birth to the little one last month, spoke out after he was told to “stay off social media” to avoid nasty comments.
Alongside a sweet photo of the newborn, Jake told fans, “So in the past week this little man has been told he needs Botox, that he’s ugly as f--k and that he’s weird looking. Me, myself, have also been told to stay off social media if you don’t want to be trolled.
“It’s so baffling to me that I should have to stay off social media if I don’t my four-week-old trolled. I don’t mind people giving me s--t, as sad as it is I’ve had to get used to being called ‘irrelevant’, ‘ugly’, ‘attention-seeking’ and the list goes on, but to troll an innocent child is so wrong and the people doing it seriously need to seek help.
“Also why should I stay off social media if I don’t want him trolled? The thought process of some people is shocking, maybe people just shouldn’t troll.”
He continued, “I enjoy social media, it’s full of lovely people who are supportive and I like sharing my ups and downs, I try to be as real as possible, but unfortunately there is a dark side of social media and something needs doing about it.”
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2 of 15Ashley Tisdale
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3 of 15Brian McFadden
Westlife singer Brian McFadden and his fiancée Danielle Parkinson are expecting their first child together in May 2021. The couple announced their lovely news in November after previously suffering two heartbreaking miscarriages.
4 of 15Kimberley Walsh and Justin Scott
Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh and her husband Justin Scott are expecting their third child together in 2021! The singer announced her lovely news in December, when she was 15 weeks pregnant.
5 of 15Binky Felstead
Made In Chelsea star Binky Felstead announced she's expecting her second child in 2021, with her boyfriend Max Fredrik. Binky is already a mum to her three-year-old daughter India, after welcoming her with her ex-boyfriend Joshua Patterson in 2017.
6 of 15Sophie Hinchliffe (Mrs Hinch)
Sophie Hinchliffe (AKA cleaning sensation Mrs Hinch) announced at the start of 2021 that she's expecting her second child with her husband Jamie Hinchliffe later in the year. The couple are already parents to one-year-old Ronnie.
7 of 15Emma Stone
In January, it was reported that La La Land actress Emma Stone and her husband Dave McCary are expecting their first child.A source revealed to US Weekly, "She seems very happy and very excited about becoming a mother — she's constantly oohing and cooing. She looks great, she looks healthy, she's glowing,"
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9 of 15Lauren Goodger
Former TOWIE star Lauren Goodger announced she's expecting her first child with her boyfriend, 23-year-old Charles Drury.
10 of 15Halsey
American singer Halsey shocked her fans in January when she share three stunning images of herself to Instagram, showing off her baby bump! She wrote, 'surprise! ud83cudf7cud83cudf08ud83dudc7cud83cudffb'. (sic)
11 of 15Tyson and Paris Fury
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12 of 15Casey Batchelor
Reality TV star Casey Batchelor is expecting her third child in three years with her boyfriend Dane Goodson.
13 of 15The Duke and Duchess of Sussex
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced on Valentine's Day that they are expecting their second child. A spokesperson said, "We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child."
14 of 15Christine Quinn
Selling Sunset star Christine Quinn announced she's expecting her first child with and her husband Christian Richard, with her pregnancy reportedly due to play out on series 4 of the Netflix show.
15 of 15Ne-Yo and Crystal Renay
Ne-Yo is expecting his fifth child! His wife Crystal Renay is pregnant with their third child together, and the couple shared a video of her baby bump alongside the caption, 'Overjoyed to announce... ...the family is expanding...ud83dudc76ud83cudffd! #Number5❤ufe0f #5thandFinal #BlessingsOnBlessingsud83dude4fud83cudffe @itscrystalsmith ud83eudd70ud83eudd70ud83eudd70 You ready baby? Let's go!'
Finishing the post on a positive note, Jake added, “Anyway, rant over!! The lion 🦁 is four weeks old today! Cute af ❤️❤️🦁. Love you son @leooliverq.”
Jake’s fans and followers were quick to show their support in the comments section including Vicky Pattison, who wrote, “He’s wonderful Jake and so are you. These people are jealous and unwell. Use that block button like it’s going out of fashion lad 😍.”
Love Island’s Gabby Allen added, “People are so cruel and fkin disgusting. Beauty comes from inside anyway so the only ones who are ugly is those who troll… sending love xx.”
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Jake’s post comes after he opened up about the struggles of fatherhood and admitted he initially found it “difficult” to bond with baby Leo.
He explained, "There are struggles and it's not easy. I've found it difficult bonding with Leo. I felt like he didn't want to be held by me as much as he did by Sophie. He's only three weeks old, but it's alright for a man to feel that way.
"I had a lot of messages from guys saying 'thanks for saying that, mate. I've had that, too.'
"If I can help one person, that's great. People think the dad's role is to support the mum, which it obviously is. But the dad also has a role in supporting the baby and trying to bond, feed and get them in the nappies. It can be harder for a dad to do those things.”