Abby Huntsman reacts to Meghan Markle's motherhood stress as a royal: 'No matter where you come from you're still a mom'
After Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle spoke about the struggles she faces as a new mom living in the spotlight over the weekend, "The View" co-host Abby Huntsman opened up about her own stress as a working mother of three.
The duchess said "it's hard" to raise her and Prince Harry's son Archie amid intense media attention, specifically from the British tabloids, in an interview with ITV News at Ten anchor Tom Bradby for the documentary "Harry & Meghan: An African Journey."
"Any woman, especially when they are pregnant, you're really vulnerable," Markle told Bradby. "You add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed... Also thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I'm OK."
"It's a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes," she added.
When Bradby asked if it would "be fair to say" that she's "not really OK. As in, it's really been a struggle," Markle replied simply: "Yes."
Tune into “Harry & Meghan: An African Journey," hosted by "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 10 p.m. ET, on the ABC Television Network.
Huntsman is a mother to Isabel Grace, who turns 2 years old in November, and twins Ruby Kate and William Jeffrey, both of whom are 4 months old. On Monday, she expressed strong support for Markle.
"The problem is everyone assumes [that] they know looking from afar, and no matter where you come from, you're still a mom. You still have the same anxieties," Huntsman said, adding that she became "emotional" watching Markle speak out. "I thought, good for her because it was such a raw moment. She's right. No one ever asks a mom, 'Are you OK? How are you doing?' Everyone wants to know how cute the kids are and all that."
Matching Markle's candidness, Huntsman spoke about an emotional breakdown she had on Sunday evening.
"I had a moment yesterday where I closed my bedroom door and just wept," she said. "I mean, in all honesty, this is what moms go through."
"I called my mom and I said, 'Mom, I can't do this anymore. I can't do it,'" Huntsman said before showing a photo of herself having a temper tantrum as a toddler.
Huntsman explained that her mother, Mary Kaye Huntsman, sent the photo to her on Sunday. She said her mother told her that it was taken when she was the same age as her daughter Isabel.
Huntsman said her mother called her a "strong-willed child" when she sent the photo and said that she "will get through this."
"Now that I've had a kid, I appreciate my own parents so much," Huntsman said. "I respect what they did and I don't think you do until you know the job. I got my hands full."
Before Huntsman gave birth to her and husband Jeff Livingston's twins on June 5, she worked until May and spent the last weeks of her pregnancy on bed rest. She returned to co-host "The View" on Sept. 3 and debuted her twins to the world. She said that while reflecting on her bed rest on Labor Day, she realized that "dads and moms, that's by far the hardest job."
Tune into “Harry & Meghan: An African Journey," hosted by "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 10 p.m. ET, on the ABC Television Network.
The duchess of Sussex married the prince in May 2018. She gave birth to Archie, their first child, one year later in May 2019, and kept the details of their son's birth private. In October, the royal couple decided to take legal action against a British tabloid for what they allege was an invasion of privacy.
Prince Harry delivered a powerful statement in the announcement of the legal move, describing Markle as "one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences."
"Though this action may not be the safe one, it is the right one. Because my deepest fear is history repeating itself," the prince said. "I've seen what happens when someone I love is commoditized to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces."
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