Former "Big Brother" host and radio presenter Brian Dowling has hit out at surrogacy laws after he revealed that he is not legally recognised as the father of his two daughters, Blake and Blue, who he shares with dancer husband Arthur Gourounlian.
Dowling, 46 and his husband Arthur share two daughters through a surrogate, Brian’s sister Aoife, who is currently recognised on his children’s birth certificates instead of him.
Speaking to ITV’s Loose Women today, August 16, Dowling said: "I think in Ireland, the lack of legislation, I think people sometimes always see surrogates as victims and my sister Aoife is certainly no Victim.
"She’s a very strong, strong woman, and just so graceful and just handed it with… I don’t know where she gets her strength from, honestly, because what she’s done is so courageous, and kind of put herself in the firing line as well for a lot of hatred, a lot of trolling."
He added that everyone currently has "the same rights over my children" as he does due to legislation in Ireland.
He said: "Arthur is the biological father of both our children. I even hate saying that sentence because I feel like it degrades and devalues my relationship with my children at the moment.
"Aoife is the legal mother to both our children, not the biological mother, because we used an egg donor, and Arthur is the biological father, so they’re on the birth certificate. I’m not."
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The dad-of-two added that the couple was hoping that soon there would be a time in Ireland where his name would be on their daughter’s birth certificates, adding: "I feel like, because it’s a legal document for the girls, and that, we are both their parents and also for Aoife."
Dowling continued: "Aoife doesn’t want her name on a legal document for a child that’s not hers. Change is needed; change is coming, but you have to fight hard to get it. I think people think surrogacy is a gay issue. It’s not a gay issue; it’s a family issue. It affects so many people, and so many people have been fighting this fight long before us."
The star also admitted that he was "fearful" of what sister Aoife’s relationship with first daughter Blake would be like, but thankfully, she is now seen as both children’s aunty.
"We’ve never done this before," Arthur said. "So we’re just floating into this water, just going with the flow."
Kildare native Dowling won the reality show "Big Brother’s" second season in 2001 and went on to win the 2010 spin-off "Ultimate Big Brother." After Channel 5 obtained the reality series, he succeeded presenter Davina McCall. Emma Willis took over from Dowling, after which the show was canceled in 2018 and revived by ITV in 2023.
Dowling, 46, is also the current presenter of ITVBe’s reality series "The Real Housewives of Cheshire." It follows several wealthy housewives leading glamorous and high-profile lifestyles, juggling their basic responsibilities and a strict social schedule.
The couple recently jetted off on a lavish holiday but found themselves clapping back at trolls who believed they should not have gone abroad so soon after the arrival of baby Blu. Unfortunately, after leaving the girls with Arthur’s mother and flying to Ibiza with friends for a few days, people on the internet quickly sent messages judging the couple for their vacation.
Their new arrival entered the world on June 23, making Arthur and Brian dads of two little girls, with one-year-old Blake taking on the big sister role.
*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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