Dame Laura Kenny has hit back after being branded an ‘attention seeker’ for sharing pictures of herself breastfeeding on social media, saying she does so to help normalise it
Dame Laura Kenny has clapped back at critics who labelled her an ‘attention seeker’ for sharing breastfeeding photos on social media. The 33-year-old cycling legend, married to ex-cyclist Sir Jason Kenny, hung up her helmet in March 2024 after a glittering career that saw her bag five Olympic golds and seven World Championship titles.
The mother of three first became a mum in 2017, welcoming another son in July 2023 and a daughter in May this year. Never one to shy away from sharing breastfeeding snaps on Instagram, Kenny faced criticism for being an ‘attention seeker’. Now, the five-time Olympic gold medallist has spoken out about why she shares these intimate moments.
In a heartfelt post, Kenny wrote: “I don’t normally address negative comments but here goes…” She continued: “Thank you all so much for the love and support on my latest post. It honestly means the world to me. But if I’m being honest we can get a hundred kind messages and still focus on the negative one. And this one really got me.
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“I don’t usually give attention to negativity and thankfully, it’s rare but this time, I feel like I needed to say something.
“I share breastfeeding photos because my confidence to feed in public came from seeing another mum do it. That moment changed things for me, and I’ve always hoped that by being open, I might do the same for someone else. Breastfeeding can be beautiful, but it can also be hard and isolating. I want to help normalise it, especially in public.
“Too many mums tell me they stopped because they felt judged and that honestly breaks my heart. So yes, maybe I am attention seeking – but I’m seeking the attention of other mum who might need to see if it’s okay.
“To everyone who stood up for me in the comments – you are incredible. And remind me why I keep sharing, and why these conversations matter. My followers are amazing.”
Kenny championed the new round-the-clock National Breastfeeding Helpline back in August following the government’s announcement that the service would be expanded to ‘help new mums persevere through challenges’ with qualified support workers.
The helpline was originally rolled out as a 24/7 service in April during a pilot scheme, but has now secured the necessary funding to operate permanently.
She commented: “I am so pleased to see that the government has extended the National Breastfeeding Helpline!”.
“I am currently breastfeeding my third baby and again the journey is different. All 3 of my babies have been completely different with feeding and it’s taken different steps to get comfortable with breastfeeding each baby.
“I’m so lucky one of my closest friends is a midwife and is always at the end of the phone but this helpline means all parents can access free, non-judgmental, evidence-based information and support on breastfeeding whenever they need it – any time of the day or night because let’s be honest problems and struggles can happen at any time of day.”