She’s made millions by documenting her lavish lifestyle online. And, like many influencers, Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague has always taken the good with the bad – after all, in a world of online anonymity, everyone has an opinion.
But since becoming a mum to daughter Bambi in January, the Love Island 2019 star turned YouTuber has incurred more wrath than ever, with followers taking aim at everything from her parenting and exercise regime, to her spending habits and constant travelling.
And last week, the 24 year old accidentally angered the online mob again, after posting photos from her ninth trip of the year. The excursion, to a luxury ski location in the Alps, seemed to be for work, as neither fiancé Tommy Fury nor their ten-month-old daughter were present, but that didn’t stop the trolls from lashing out at the star for going away again – having already visited Paris twice this year, in addition to trips to New York, Ibiza, Greece, Dubai and Spain – as well as for leaving her baby at home.
Now, we’re told Molly- Mae has been left reeling from the fallout, and is slowly realising that life as an A-list Insta-mum is a whole new ball game, inviting much more scrutiny and judgement. So, she’s turning to the Queen of mumfluencing Stacey Solomon and asking how she can get her followers back on side.
“Molly-Mae is sick of getting mum-shamed for just living her life,” says an insider close to the star.
“But at the same time, she knows she has to play the game and fix whatever is not working with her brand. She really looks up to Stacey, and has reached out for advice – she wants to know how she can get the trolls off her back.”
The famous mums first connected earlier this year after Stacey posted a message of support on one of Molly-Mae’s pictures, after the snap sparked criticism, with fans saying Bambi was “too small” to be outside and looked “uncomfortable”. Showing her solidarity, Stacey simply wrote, “Adorable”.
Meanwhile, the mum of five also mentioned Molly-Mae in one of her own trademark “relatable” posts – captioning a selfie of herself with a mum bun, “Can someone please tell me why I can’t pull this off?” alongside a crying laughing emoji, and adding, “Can you send me a newborn slickback hair tutorial please @mollymae”.
According to insiders, Molly-Mae was both touched by Stacey’s support, and inspired to follow her lead when it comes to mumfluencing. She knows that she and Tommy can both come off a bit strong when it comes to their affluent tastes, so she’s trying to find a way to endear herself to the public, just like Stacey.
“Stacey didn’t think twice about defending Molly-Mae when she was being attacked online,” says our source.
“She herself has been the target of abuse, so she won’t stand for it. She’s also really flattered that Molly-Mae has asked her for advice because she thinks Molly-Mae is a gorgeous girl with a promising career ahead – but she’s told her she needs to tone things down a bit if she wants to be taken more seriously.”
A brief look at Molly-Mae’s Instagram will show that sharing the more luxe perks of her career is a hard habit hard to break, but the recent influx of negative comments has apparently hit her hard. Posting beneath a photo of the star in the snowy mountains, one follower wrote, “Why fly away for this rubbish shot you could of done in your mansion…And maybe spend time with your actual child?” while another railed, “Money talks”.
Our insider tells us, “Molly-Mae’s finding all the cruel comments quite overwhelming. But she really values Stacey’s support. She just thinks Stacey has the perfect balance of being a successful influencer, but also staying relatable. For now, she’s going to run things by people she trusts – including Stacey.”