FORMER EastEnders star Melissa Suffield has hit back at a vile troll who shamed her post-baby body.
The mum-of-one, 28, posted a snap of her post-baby belly and stretch marks on Instagram this week and admitted she “detests the body pregnancy left behind” 10 months after giving birth to her son River.
A cruel troll commented “ugh” and a vomiting emoji under her post and Melissa rushed to defend her body positive snap.
“I won’t ever change what I post!” she wrote.
Addressing the troll, she added: “Two kids in that profile picture, one of which is a young girl.
“And not only do you feel that way about a woman’s body, but you’ve taken the time out to comment and let her know just how disgusting you find her.
“And you’re raising a daughter, who will learn her worth from her parents.
“And a son who will emulate how you treat women. What a b****y shame.’
The actress made the confession that she’s still unhappy with her post-baby body as she discussed the pressure to be body positive, especially after giving birth to her son River at the start of the first national lockdown.
Writing for Grazia and their new parenting platform The Juggle, she said: “My ethos with posting is also my mantra – no filter, no judgement, no bullsh*t.
“It doesn’t seem authentic to keep these thoughts hidden and only post a carefully curated feed of a perfectly charmed life. It’s not accurate.
“Some days, I absolutely detest the body that pregnancy has left behind.”
Melissa went on: “I did not at any point expect to look in the mirror and be faced with the size 10 curvy but toned, perky and energetic gal I used to be.
“I knew there would be some signs of wear and tear – some would be temporary, some may take a little longer to fade, and some might be my new normal.”
The first time mum, who shares River with fiance Robert Brendan, said honestly: “I can appreciate my body and everything it has given me, while still wanting to better myself.
“I can mourn my pre-baby stomach, and still be grateful that it grew my baby. I can want to it back into my favourite pair of jeans, without it being because I’m conforming to unrealistic and dangerous beauty standards.
“I can want to shift some of the weight I gained beyond my control during pregnancy, without it making me fatphobic.”
Melissa’s Instagram post asked the question: “Do you feel the pressure to love yourself, no questions asked?”, as the actress spoke about her personal experience with her body image ten months after the birth of her son.
She commented: “I am body positive. Overall, that much is true.
“But it can feel toxic sometimes, this message that you must love your body, whatever.”
Melissa is best known for her role as Lucy Beale on the BBC One soap.
But more recently she’s been navigating motherhood during a pandemic and in addition had to postpone her wedding due to coronavirus after Robert popped the question last year.
Chatting to HOAR in September last year, she said of their wedding: “God knows when this will happen. We had a party booked, because I’m not massively traditional.
“It’s definitely not going to be a big church wedding with 200 people there, it’s just not my style at all.
“Obviously the party we had booked is not going to happen. When it does go ahead, River will be up there front and centre with us during the service. I like to think of it as creating a family, rather than the joining of two people.”
