Former BBC presenter faces backlash after posting topless photo on family holiday
Former BBC presenter Sarah-Jane Honeywell has sparked some controversy with a topless holiday photo.
Honeywell is best known for being a TV host on CBeebies, working on the well-loved children's channel in the 2000s.
She is a mum to two boys with her husband, Hollyoaks star Ayden Callaghan, with their first son, Phoenix, being born in 2015, and their second son, Indiana, was born two years later.
The couple whisked their kids away for a trip abroad this summer and visited La Manga, Spain in June and the 49-year-old documented their family trip on Instagram.
Advert
However, one photo in particular caused a huge stir in the comments.
In the snap in question, Honeywell can be seen stood on the beach facing the sea as her two sons appear to build a sandcastle beside her.
The mum-of-two is wearing bikini bottoms in the picture, but no top.
She captioned the snap: "Fun in the sun with my favourite smalls & my old Cboobies out #oopspardon".
With some noting that she was in front of her kids - as well as other beachgoers - a few commenters had an issue with the fact that Honeywell had decided to go without her bikini top.
"Your poor boys," one person said.
Another commented: "I could not do that in front of my kids," while a third added: "Not in front of the children."
While some praised her for the picture, with one person calling her 'beautiful'.
"I could not do that in front of my kids. But good on you." someone else said.
And another defended her, saying the negative commenters needed to 'get over yourselves'.
And Honeywell, who, along with her husband now runs a theatre school for children called Curious Theatre School, has since addressed the photo and people's comments, claiming that she's 'constantly mum-shamed'.
"I am constantly mum-shamed, I’ve come to expect it," she told The Sun.
"But I certainly wasn’t expecting such an uproar when I shared my snaps from our recent holiday to Spain.
“I had let my CBoobies out on a beach in La Manga and I posted a photo of myself topless on Instagram."
In regards to people's concerns about her sons, Honeywell said it was 'madness', adding: "They're just boobs!"
She also posted another picture on Instagram in response to the backlash - but this time, she had her top on.
"Seen as though I was in the papers today talking about having my cboobies out on holiday," she wrote in the caption.
"Here’s a shot of me with my top on! Maybe I’ll post a pic tomorrow where I go."
The latest controversy comes after Honeywell was axed from CBeebies following a naked photoshoot for PETA to promote veganism in 2011.
Speaking on BBC Radio Lincolnshire back in 2021, she explained that the shoot was billed as a 'bra and pants shot', but she was asked to pose topless so the photos would get more publicity.
She said: "I thought it would be okay but it wasn’t. The Sun went to BBC for comment and they said that I no longer work for them."
Niamh Shackleton