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Celebrity

05th Mar 2021

“Let kids explore” Emma Willis defends son Ace’s self-expression

Sarah McKenna Barry

“He is very individual. Why would I suppress that?”

TV presenter Emma Willis has defended her child’s right to express himself in a powerful statement. Nine-year-old Ace was recently the subject of cruel comments after his mother shared photo of him in a pink top.

Willis described Ace as her “style icon”, as he sported ripped jeans, pink trainers and shoulder-length blonde hair.

However, some online critics felt the need to weigh in. Speaking to The Sun Online, Willis defended her child and affirmed his right to express himself.

“I think it’s a really personal thing,” Emma said. “You know, my son likes what he likes, and far be it for me to stop him expressing himself or experimenting however he likes with clothes.”

She continued: “I see it as hair is hair, clothes are clothes and colour is colour. And, you know, if my son wants to wear a pink top, I’m certainly not going to stop him. Let kids explore. Kids love exploring. And they don’t just have to explore in the dirt with worms and spiders, they can explore with colour and clothes and hair. I just let him be him.”

She added that while she can handle online trolling, she draws the line with her children: “I’m so protective of my kids and this was just a young boy expressing himself the way he wants to. He is very individual, he dresses the way he wants and he’s really happy doing that. Why would I try to suppress that?”

Recently, Emma has been open about allowing her children to dress they way they like. On Children’s Mental Health Week, she spoke about the importance of self-expression, as she shared a snap of her three kids.

She wrote: “Raised exactly the same way, yet all completely different. My teenager before her time, my boss lady baby and my rainbow boy.”