Star hits back after baby reveal backlash

A former reality television star has responded to backlash after it turned out that her pregnancy announcement was a sponsored post.

A former reality television star has responded to backlash after she turned her pregnancy announcement into a sponsored post.

Ella May Ding, who appeared on season 9 of the hit dating show ‘Married At First Sight’ in 2022, took to Instagram last week to reveal she was expecting her first child with husband Guy Palermo.

The images featured the couple wearing all white, and cradling the 30-year-old’s tummy with a Clearblue pregnancy test on display — and a note confirming it was an ad.

But what should have been a heartfelt moment between the reality star and her fans turned into a debate as some argued it felt “off” to cash in on a pregnancy announcement.

Former MAFS star Ella May Ding took to Instagram last week to announce she was expecting her first child with husband Guy Palermo. Picture: Instagram

But, more than a week after the announcement, Ms Ding has responded to the backlash.

“It was a no-brainer. When the opportunity came to me, I was like, ‘Well, Clearblue literally told me I’m pregnant’. Like, I don’t really know how much more you can align with a brand,” she told Yahoo Lifestyle.

“The response I was like, ‘That’s a bit weird’, but at the same time, it made sense to me, and that’s like anything that I do, promote or talk about. If it makes sense to me and my people understand, that’s all that matters. And if you got offered, you would take it!”

She added that having a baby was an expensive feat, particularly with the cost-of-living crisis.

People said the fact the announcement was an ad 'felt off', with Ms Ding finally responding. Picture: Instagram

Ms Ding posted the announcement last week, with the caption: “Somewhere between healing and hustling, the next chapter quietly chose us. Baby Palermo you’ve already made our story sweeter & given us the best news of 2025 yet.”

It was signed off with: “#ad #ClearblueConfirmed. Always read the label and follow the directions for use.”

One social media user said: “Nooo this feels off being an ad. Is this the official announcement? Congratulations either way.”

She said having a baby was expensive. Picture: Instagram

And another criticised: “Wow making money of (sic) the baby already? How desperate are you for cash? I hope you wont be exploiting this baby for content when its born. It’s a child not content.”

“I thought this was so odd,” another said.

One commented: “Beautiful news. Just weird how it’s a clearblue ad lol.”

“Making money off an unborn baby feels weird to me idk,” one social media user commented.

Another said: “This chick will do anything for money lol.”

Ms Ding is certainly not the first influencer or celebrity to do this. Summer House star Lindsay Hubbard announced her pregnancy in a very similar way with the same brand. Fellow US stars such as Daniella Monet and Tamera Mowry have done the same.

Originally published as Star hits back after baby reveal backlash