Louise Thompson says she is ‘deeply devastated’ as she FINALLY issues apology for potty training comments and explains it was ‘never her intention to offend’ and she has ‘tremendous admiration’ for mothers struggling
Louise Thompson said she was “deeply devastated” when she finally apologized for off-topic comments she made about potty training earlier this week.
On Thursday, the former Made In Chelsea star, 36, and her husband Ryan Libbey, 35, with whom she shares 4-year-old son Leo, sparked backlash after it was revealed they were ‘mocking’ children who were still wearing nappies when they started school.
Speaking on their podcast He Said She Said, the couple discussed the statistic that one in four children are sent to school without being toilet trained.
Louise admitted she was “shocked” by the statistics and started laughing when Ryan said “it’s unfair” for teachers. This sparked outrage from followers and many reasons were given, including children with Special Educational Needs.
And now on Saturday, Louise has shared her deepest apologies on Instagram, explaining that it was never her intention to cause offense and that she has ‘tremendous admiration’ for struggling mums.
She began speaking to her followers: ‘The first thing I want to say is that I’m so sorry I ever upset anyone and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
Louise Thompson said she was “deeply devastated” as she FINALLY apologized for her potty training comments in an Instagram video on Saturday
‘It was never our intention to go out there and offend so many people, let alone a community of parents and children facing so many challenges, both Ryan and I are deeply devastated.’
Explaining the content of the podcast clip, he continued: ‘The statistics from a Guardian article published in the podcast in January did not refer to children with Special Educational Needs or disabilities but it doesn’t matter because what this taught us was that we need to consider other groups of children too and this is an area that is little explored.
‘I watched all the videos and read the comments. ‘I have nothing but great admiration for the mothers who hear their stories.’
Encouraging feedback, she said: ‘I love moms who try to message me on a daily basis so I can better understand what you’re going through and maybe we can have a more informed conversation on the podcast at some point in the future because I think it’s so important to continue to raise awareness about these types of issues.’
Louise, who has a stoma bag and has been very open with followers about her medical condition, added: ‘Obviously I have an invisible disability too, so I’m particularly sensitive to such issues.
‘I think a big part of the struggle is finding the courage to talk about them so that people who don’t understand them can, so that we feel like a less marginalized group in society. I hope this is the beginning of a wider conversation.’
He concluded: ‘I promise this has been a very important lesson and not one I will take lightly. It gave me so much information to continue these conversations on my platforms.
‘I have to say it takes a lot of courage and bravery to defend your children so you should be proud of yourself and as I’m that person myself I totally understand where all that energy is coming from.
‘Thank you to everyone who messaged me and everyone who said we should meet to talk more.’
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Can a public apology undo the harm caused by careless comments?
On Thursday, the former MIC star, 36, and her husband Ryan Libbey, 35, sparked backlash after it was revealed they were ‘making fun of’ children who were still wearing nappies when they started school.
Before their statement on Saturday, after they removed the clip from Instagram, the pair had been criticized for the initial response, for which they failed to apologize.
Ahead of Saturday’s statement, the pair were criticized for their response after they removed the clip from Instagram, writing: ‘In a previous clip we featured a conversation about potty training, based on recent statistics and our own lived experiences.
‘However, this did not include a crucial reference to special education children and their families, which was an oversight, so we removed the clip to avoid causing further offense. ‘This is an important issue that we want to know more about.’
In the original video, Louise said: ‘I think it’s a basic human right to teach your child how to use the toilet and wipe their bottom before the age of four.’
The couple laughed again when Louise said: ’28 per cent of children go to reception unable to eat or drink on their own. That’s almost a third of the children…
‘So there are a lot of children in reception who have nappies and can’t feed themselves or drink water.’
Comment sections on the podcast’s social media accounts were flooded with criticism from parents, including accounts dedicated to children with SEN (Special Educational Needs) who reposted the clip with their own comments.
The official account of the podcast, produced by Louise’s brother Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks’ company Staying Relevant Productions, removed the clip and removed the conversation from the podcast.
Sam has spoken openly about his ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) diagnosis and recently wrote the book You, Me and ADHD.
The statement was soon flooded with comments from angry critics, with users writing: ‘Instead of deleting the post and hoping the backlash goes away, it would be much better to make a video apologizing for the generalized comments…
‘You’re laughing! Whatever the reason for the child not being able to use the toilet or do anything you think is age appropriate, why does it seem funny to you? What makes you make public assumptions about other families?
‘Poor excuse, no apology in sight. Shame on you… So many words to avoid apologizing… so this is your apology…. Shame on you!!!! Educate yourself!!!…
‘They are so disgusting and uneducated about this situation! Next time, look into why you shouldn’t just look at statistics!’
The statistics Louise and Ryan quote come from an annual survey of primary school staff in England by the early years charity Kindred Squared; This survey states: ‘teachers estimate that 26 per cent of children in reception classes have frequent toilet accidents, with the number being more than a third in the north-east (36 per cent).
The survey also found that 28 percent of children were unable to eat or drink independently, and 25 percent had difficulty with other basic life skills.
This figure does not take into account the proportion of children whose delays may be due to disability or special educational needs.
