Game of Thrones star Gemma Whelan praised for sharing photo of herself breastfeeding on set

'Aggressive fighter, loving mother'

Game of Thrones star Gemma Whelan has been praised for sharing a photo of herself breastfeeding on set.

On Sunday, the 38-year-old, who plays Yara Greyjoy of the Iron Islands on the hit HBO show, posted a photo on Instagram showing her breastfeeding her daughter while dressed in character.

The actor gave birth to her daughter in October 2017 with husband Gerry Howell while filming for Game of Thrones season eight was well underway.

“Just a tease and my actual life on set between whatever we actually were filming,” Whelan wrote in the caption.

The actor also revealed in the comments that the photo was taken after she filmed one of her scenes for the first episode of Season 8 following concern from fans that the post was a spoiler alert.

The post, which has since garnered more than 90,000 likes, received hundreds of comments from followers praising Whelan for sharing a photograph of her breastfeeding, with many calling it “empowering” and “beautiful”.

“Proud of you, mama. Nothing like nursing sessions between battle scenes, I’m sure,” one person commented.

Another wrote: “Yara. The ultimate feminist that women need. Woop woop.”

A third person added: “What an empowering and beautiful photo!! You’re a ninja!”

Even HBO praised the actor, writing: “Aggressive fighter, loving mother.”

Earlier this month, Whelan revealed on Good Morning Britain that her daughter was on set for the entire duration of filming for the show’s final season, meaning she would often have to breastfeed her baby in full costume between takes.

“I’m really sort of tied into my armour,” Whelan said.

“It’s quite difficult to get to yourself, let’s put it that way.”

The star added that her baby daughter is also one of the very few people to know the ending of the beloved show.

“She can't tell anyone. She can't speak,” Whelan joked.