Hilaria Baldwin denies pretending to be Spanish and says she hid details of US upbringing to shield family from press

‘I think there is a difference between hiding and creating a boundary’

Hilaria Baldwin has denied pretending to be Spanish in a new interview, after her origins and upbringing were questioned by many on social media.

The yoga instructor, podcast co-host, and lifestyle influencer spoke to The New York Times days after her background became a topic of public discussion.

Some have accused Baldwin of pretending to have Spanish origins, scrutinising her accent in various videos and cross-referencing sources listing Baldwin’s birthplace and biographical elements.

Baldwin, however, insists she did not intentionally create a false narrative about her origins.

“There is not something I’m doing wrong, and I think there is a difference between hiding and creating a boundary,” she told The New York Times.

Prior to the interview, she sought to address the situation in an Instagram video, in which she stated that she was “born in Boston and grew up spending time with my family between Massachusetts and Spain”.

A 2018 cover story in the magazine ¡Hola! described her as a native of Spain. Until recently, her profile on the talent agency CAA’s website also listed her as having been born in Spain, specifically in Mallorca.

“Today we have an opportunity to clarify for people who have been confused — and have been confused in some ways by people misrepresenting me,” Baldwin told The New York Times.

Baldwin, who frequently shares snippets of her family life with her 878,000 Instagram followers (she is married to actor Alec Baldwin, with whom she has five children), said she was mindful of “oversharing”.

According to The New York Times, she previously avoided going into detail about her upbringing in order to protect her parents from media attention.

Baldwin also told the newspaper she made it clear to Alec Baldwin on the day they met that she was from Boston. He has taken her defence on social media, first by way of an Instagram video. He has also criticised several media pieces covering the story on Twitter.