Louis Tomlinson’s sister, 19, reflects on ‘cruel’ backlash to being a ‘young mama’

Phoebe Tomlinson announced she’s expecting her first child, with boyfriend Jack Varley, earlier this month

(Instagram @thephoebetomlinson)

Louis Tomlinson’s 19-year-old sister has reflected on the negative comments and criticism she received after announcing her pregnancy earlier this month.

On 19 June, Phoebe Tomlinson revealed that she and her boyfriend, footballer Jack Varley, 26, are expecting their first child together.

The couple said their firstborn is a boy, sharing the news in a gender reveal video posted on Instagram 10 days later.

In the video, Varley pops a black balloon filled with blue confetti, before hugging Phoebe as they celebrate the news with friends and family.

The model and mum-to-be later answered fan questions about her pregnancy journey on her Instagram stories, including whether she had dealt with any backlash for being a “young mama”.

Phoebe replied: “Any nasty comments will get removed and blocked, so I just try and let them go over my head. That’s the downside of social media. And I’ve truly learnt in the past few weeks how incredibly cruel people can be.

“I’m lucky I have an amazing family,” she added.

Her twin sister Daisy left lots of blue heart emojis on Phoebe and Varley’s gender reveal video, while their older sister Lottie Tomlinson, 24, said she “can’t wait to meet” her nephew.

Phoebe also responded to a 19-year-old fan who also “wanted a baby early in life but people were against it”.

She said: “Why do ‘people’ matter? It’s your life, sweets.”

Model and mum-to-be answered fan questions about her pregnancy journey on her Instagram stories, including whether she had dealt with any backlash for being a “young mama” (Instagram @thephoebetomlinson)

Phoebe also shared she “feels like any other expecting mum” when asked if it was scary to become a mother at “such a young age”.

Elsewhere, she said her brother Louis was “excited” to find out Phoebe and Varley were having a boy.

While the former One Direction star wasn’t at the gender reveal, Phoebe told a fan she texted him a few days prior to the announcement.

She also expressed her excitement at her baby meeting Daisy, and told a fan she becomes “emotional” when she thinks about Varley becoming a father.

“I can’t wait to see them snuggle and to watch him thrive as a dad,” she added.

Finally, Phoebe said that she felt her late mother Johannah Deakin “guiding us through” the pregnancy. Deakin died from leukemia in December 2016, aged 43.

The family was dealt another tragic blow in March 2019, when the siblings lost their sister Félicité Tomlinson after she died from an accidental drug overdose, aged 18.