Fleur East has shared some powerful images of her breastfeeding her baby daughter on public transport.
The former X Factor finalist-turned-Hits Radio Breakfast presenter, 36, can be seen in photographs sitting on the London Underground with four-month-old Nova nestled close while she also uses an Elvie electronic breast pump.
The Sax singer was joined on the outing by several women who sat either side of her on the tube and were also all breastfeeding their babies and sporting #FreeTheFeed badges in honour of World Breastfeeding Week, which begins on Thursday.
Writing about the experience on Instagram, East - who shares Nova with her husband Marcel Badiane-Robin, a French fashion designer - said: “I did something pretty incredible with @elvie yesterday, and joined some mums in breastfeeding our babies on public transport! Why, you ask? Well, even though breastfeeding is one of the biggest privileges in motherhood, it can be really daunting to do it outside of your own home for a number of reasons.
“I remember feeling nervous about breastfeeding in public for the first time and being judged or made to feel uncomfortable. I was always reassured when I saw another Mother doing the same or when others were just accepting of it and didn’t comment or make me feel like I was doing something wrong.”
She continued: “It’s no surprise that 94% of breastfeeding women in the UK have avoided public transport, with one of the main reasons being fear of judgement (70%). So Elvie is calling on TfL and other transport providers to make breastfeeding and pumping women feel comfortable in these spaces - with clear signage to make them feel supported and welcome.”She concluded her post saying: “I would love Mothers to feel confident and free to feed their babies without judgement”
East’s celebrity friends were quick to applaud her actions in the comments section.
“Love this,” penned fellow mum Leigh-Anne Pinnock, along with a heart-eyes emoji.
“Oh wow this is so amazing,” remarked former EastEnders actress Danielle Harold.
“This is incredible,” agreed one-time Queen of the Jungle Vicky Pattison.
While East’s former Strictly Come Dancing partner Vita Coppola showed his support with a simple orange heart emoji.