Blake Lively has endured a difficult month, with the release of It Ends With Us seeing her come under fire.
The film adaptation of the bestselling Colleen Hoover novel has proven successful in the box office, but has been widely criticised by fans for its portrayal of domestic violence - particularly in relation to the film's publicity.
Lively - the film's star and producer, has been at the centre of this backlash, condemned for minimising the important messaging of It Ends With Us, by encouraging viewers to "wear florals" to the cinema, publicising her haircare brand and featuring her alcohol company, Betty Buzz, in the film's promotion.
Her "problematic" media approach came amid a rumoured fallout with It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni over the creative direction of the film, seeing fans accuse Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds of taking over the project. And now, with the internet resurfacing past comments and controversial interviews from Lively, her character is coming under fire.
As Lively weathers the online backlash, she is reportedly being supported by her close friends and family, with her elder sister Robyn among her biggest cheerleaders. This was proven this week as the 52-year-old fellow actress marked Lively's 37th birthday with a post about her character, calling her "one of the best humans".
"That’s my bday queen right there!," posted Robyn Lively to Instagram. "I love this girl, my sister, my best friend, my little piggy back buddy! You are one of the best humans I know. HAPPY birthday sissy britches! 💞🥳".
The post unsurprisingly prompted a lot of responses. And while Robyn didn't directly speak about the backlash, she did make her stance known, ignoring the negative messages and commenting her thanks to fans who were defending her sister.
"Robyn knows her personally, none of the rest of us can say that," read one fan's comment. "I have read so much negativity about her because she didn't react the way other people thought she should. Walk a mile in her shoes, don't listen to the haters. I don't believe she has to explain herself to anyone. Acting is a profession and she doesn't owe anyone anything. I think she is gracious person."
"So kind thank you", Robyn Lively responded with a red love heart emoji.
"Blake is a lovely human being!!," read another comment. "I hope she knows that the multitudes of people who love her is so much greater than the negative voices", to which Robyn replied: " 🙌 thank you for this ❤️".
"What an honor to be able to support my sister with our family in the greatest performance of her career!" Robyn posted to Instagram earlier this month to mark the film's release. "It’s not an easy watch, but man is it an important one. She brings such levity and grace to this heartbreaking performance and also leaves you feeling empowered and hopeful. I literally watched her pour her heart and soul into this film, surviving on little to no sleep. You cannot fathom the work she put into this in front of and behind the camera. Her DNA is sprinkled throughout like magical fairy dust. I honestly don’t know how she does it all. I’m bursting with pride! Take your tissues and get ready to fall in love with love AND the unicorn that is my sister".
We will continue to update this story.
