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.

A thread about a woman showing emotion due to a grown man trying to rape babies, and supposedly intelligent people turn it into a thread about sexism and mothers/not mothers

Sockreturningpixie I think people read OP's sentence "It seems that as a mother herself she could not comprehend how the mothers allowed it to go on" as implying that one's feelings about Watkins' actions are dependent on one's reproductive status. Surely that's where the comments about mothers/not mothers are coming from?

I can understand why she was upset, this story is just horrendous

me being a mother has not changed what i get upset about. i would not have been any less shocked or upset by this story before i had ds

i really do dislike the notion that you feel more emotion when you are a parent

I have to say, I have certainly become more emotional about many things since I became a mother - things that wouldn't have bothered me all that much before I now find extremely upsetting, though that's just me and I know not everyone is like that.

However, surely anyone, regardless of their sex or parental status is sickened to the core by this story. I don't blame holly willoughby one bit for getting upset on telly by it, not do I think she was 'unprofessional' to do so, but I think the fact she is a mother is highly irrelevant. In fact in this case I think it is far more likely to do with the fact that she may well have know him personally and that her best friend is probably going through a bit of a shitty time because of the whole thing right now.

OP, sorry. I'm sure everyone on this thread shares your feelings about Ian Watkins, and everyone regardless of whether they are a parent or not feels absolute horror at what he's done. I, for one, can understand how Holly was unable to keep her emotions in check. But your comment about him being unprofessional for taking on his ambassador role is, frankly, really rather misplaced. Amongst all the things he's done, his lack of professionalism is not really up there in the grand scheme!!

I would say that it is fair to say that horrific events such as this would affect people more if they could relate to it- hence the trigger warning on the other thread, for example. I'm speaking about victims of abuse, more than anything.

It isn't necessarily just mothers who would be distressed by the story- everyone knows a small child and it really does make me want to flip out to think of any harm like that coming to a loved one of mine. I remember the NSPCC adverts coming on the TV (specifically the ones with 'Miles', the baby left alone crying in the cot) and because he bore a resemblance and was a similiar age to my own brother at the time, I lay in bed sobbing after the first time I had seen the advert. My brother wasn't being abused- it was the image in my head that made me so upset. That and the combination of the feeling of 'I know he is safe, but others aren't so fortunate.'

That as well may be,but its still unbelievable.

Well done Earningsthread Your prize is a virtual hearty handshake.

I'd like to see Janet Street Porter present TM.