To think bless Holly Willoughby for her tears

[bongobaby]

Have just been watching This Morning and Holly having tears on the matter of that scumbag Ian Watkins. She was visibly upset when it was spoken about how he groomed the mothers of these young babies who he went on to abuse.
It seems that as a mother herself she could not comprehend how the mothers allowed it to go on. Hence her tears.

I wouldn't waste any emotion of Fearne Cotton tbh, the only ones to feel sorry for are the children involved

I agree with you Mabelene. My dh said he felt physically sick. I think individuals respond to their feelings of horror and disgust in different ways.

No matter what walk of life we come from, these crimes are repugnant. Holly is only human and showed emotion bearing in mind the nature of the crime.

I was absolutely appalled by this and it made me crypt too. I've struggled to get it out of my head.

But I would have felt exactly the same way before I had children.

Why do people always have to preface this with all the trite 'as a mother' nonsense. They are appalling crimes which appall all decent people parents or not.

What exactly do you think childless women think? 'Ian Watkins child abuse: LOL'?

I think to imply that you can only truly understand the disgustingness and depravity of these crimes as a mother actually denigrates their seriousness and the widespread revulsion they have sparked,

these crimes are repugnant. Holly is only human and showed emotion bearing in mind the nature of the crime

I couldnt agree more with this.

Thank you HesterShaw for saying exactly what I wanted to say.

Obviously first thoughts with the poor babies.
But I do feel for fearne as she looks so young in the pics, I think back to me in 2005 and I'm a different person to who I am now.

I'm guessing a lot of the tears are if fearne had stayed with him he could have had access to Holly's kids.

Hester - I agree with you that these crimes are repugnant to everyone. I also think that this 'as a mother' stuff is bollocks.

However, somewhat in conflict with that, what I've found since I had children (my oldest is 4, so only little still) is that I've had a more upset personal response to these types of response. DH says the same (I don't think it's a 'mother thing'). I used to be able to watch these sorts of reports and feel angry and appalled. Now I can never help relating it back to my own two children. So in my case my response has changed slightly (probably not for the better - it seems to have made me more self-centred in a way).

ithaka thank you for that quote.

I always used to be totally about people who said you felt things like the death of a child more because of your own children, but I think in some I do feel such stories a little more now that I'm a mother purely because I'll then think what if my own child died and the thought is just so unbearable that it does make me a bit more upset about it than pre-children IYSWIM. But that is me and I wouldn't begin to presume what other people feel.

In this case I just can't see how I would be any less upset or disgusted by it if I was childless, what their mothers have done is so utterly disgusting and so totally beyond comprehension that it just doesn't resonate in that way. I'd actually have thought those feeling most shitty about it (not that it's a competition) would be those dealing with their own stories of abuse.

Poor Holly. She's really nice.

Maybe she is, but she's totally out of her depth as a TV presenter on anything except fluffy pap

That's probably why she only presents fluffy pap.

She is perfect for her audience who don't want anything too intellectually challenging but like a bit of emotion. She's very good at what she does because she's perfect for that audience.

There's a reason Jeremy Paxman doesn't present daytime tv.

Thank God he is not the father of Fearne Cottons baby

Yes, people at home during the day don't care about quality journalism. And there needs to be a man alongside lovely caring Holly for some gravitas.

It's not very professional of her - however upsetting she found it personally she should be able to control her emotions. You don't see newsreaders crying over stories while they are reporting them.

I can't believe I actually feel nostalgic for Richard and Judy.

I'd LOVE to see Paxman do This Morning!

Maybe she is, but she's totally out of her depth as a TV presenter on anything except fluffy pap

^that^

I think Holly is good at presenting light entertainment showbiz stuff. But this is just another example of how TM should keep away from serious issues - unless they start having professional journalists presenting the show again....

I'm afraid I don't see coverage of child abuse (or any of the other serious issues TM sometimes deals with) as fluffy pap.

That's the point, Mabelene - TM should stick to the 'fluffy pap' it's good at because when serious issues are featured they're generally not dealt with sensitively or professionally by the presenters.

I think it does affect you more if you are a parent as this is your absolute worst nightmare. Everyone can feel upset by this though - it's not a competition.

Me too squoosh

Regarding the whole 'as a mother' thing - two of the most reprehensible people in this very sad tale are exactly that

I find the idea that Holly is somehow letting down all female journalists/presenters by crying to be a bit dubious.

The idea that one woman's behaviour can reflect badly on 50% of the population is sexism of the sort that men are never subjected to.

I don't think you have to be a mother to be absolutely horrified by this case, but there is something about the way the mothers behaved in this case that I find so disturbing to aa greater degree, because it is just so alien from my real life experience of motherhood.