Cliff Notes – This Morning star backtracks after being slammed for ‘poor taste’ April Fool’s pregnancy prank
- Georgina Burnett faced backlash after posting a fake pregnancy announcement on Instagram, which many deemed insensitive given the struggles of those facing infertility and miscarriage.
- Following criticism, Burnett deleted the post and later shared a birthday message for her cat, indicating a shift in focus from the controversial prank.
- The incident highlights ongoing discussions about the appropriateness of April Fool’s jokes, particularly regarding sensitive topics.
This Morning star backtracks after being slammed for ‘poor taste’ April Fool’s pregnancy prank
A This Morning star has been slammed after she pretended to be pregnant.
Georgina Burnett, 46, was formerly a weather presenter and news reporter, but is now best known for working on ITV’s flagship breakfast programme where she shares DIY and home improvement tips.
She is also a regular presenter at the Ideal Home Show and Grand Designs Live.
However, she’s drawn criticism today after posting what appeared to be a fake pregnancy announcement.
Earlier today she shared a black and white photo of herself by a staircase on Instagram, which showed her face obstructed while she looked down on and held her stomach.
She captioned the post ‘News!’, with many quickly rushing to question if she was expecting.
But after she started commenting on some comments with a wink face emoji, others pointed out the date and indicated she may be making an April Fool’s joke, saying her actions were ‘insensitive’ if it was a prank.
‘Not funny if this is an April Fool’s joke,’ one person commented.
‘As a grown adult you actually think this is funny? Embarrassing,’ someone else shared.
‘I’m sure you’ve meant no offence, but this is in incredibly poor taste,’ another added.
Meanwhile another follower wrote: ‘This is deeply hurtful to the huge number of women suffering with infertility. Did you know 1/4 of pregnancies end in miscarriage and 1/6 of couples have trouble falling pregnant? You would do well to consider this before making “jokes” about such sensitive topics in the future.’
As other negative comments calling her out starting coming through, Georgina deleted the post.
She’s since added a post wishing her cat Dexter a happy birthday.
Just a few days ago she posted the following on social media: ‘I only have 2 children but ended up with 4 Mother’s Day cards so I’m feeling very blessed today. There isn’t a day that goes by (even on those days!) that I’m not immensely grateful for my kids. My heart goes out to anyone feeling sad for any reason today as I’ve been there xxx.’
It was on Valentine’s Day in 2023 she also announced she’d split from her husband Andy Flawn after more than 20 years together.
‘It’s time for me to share some personal news for a change. Something I’ve been dealing with this past year is my marriage splitting up,’ she wrote.
‘Never easy for anyone, especially the kids, but don’t worry, I’m not alone today and I’m excited about my next happier chapter and making the most of my life as a very fortunate single mum.’
Some other April Fool’s jokes today have also fallen flat, with Lorraine viewers saying a prank in which she was ‘given a tattoo’ in honour of her granddaughter Billie saw her name spelt wrong.
Pretending to storm off set after the ‘mistake’ was pointed out, Lorraine’s prank was called ‘cringeworthy’.
Metro has contacted Georgina Burnett for comment.
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV1.