Kira Cousins, the 23-year-old former supermarket worker who tricked her then boyfriend and family into believing she was pregnant before passing off a plastic doll as her newborn, has spoken out for the first time.
From Airdrie, Scotland, she made global headlines in October when the deception was uncovered. In her first interview, she says she was unable to tell ex-boyfriend Jamie Gardner that she had suffered a miscarriage, leading her to continue the ruse.
Why she faked the pregnancy
Cousins acknowledged her actions were wrong but claimed fear drove her. She told the Sunday Mail: "I couldn't tell him. I did lose a child. I'd tried to tell him when I first lost the child. I still have messages on my phone which said, 'Jamie, we need to sit down,' but I couldn't speak to him about anything. I can hold my hands up and say, 'No, I shouldn't have used a doll', but at the same time, nobody knows what our relationship was like."
Gardner, who believed he had become a father, said he would have ended the relationship had he known the truth. He commented: "If I had ever known that was really a doll, I'd have run off sooner. I've not got a clue what really happened to be honest."
Elaborate deception
To maintain the illusion, Cousins wore an artificial baby bump for months, shared baby scan images online, and threw a lavish gender reveal party. She posted pictures of baby clothes and gifts, including a £1,000 pram and car seat, alongside what is believed to be AI-generated footage of the "baby" kicking inside her womb. She also wrote about hospital appointments and claimed antenatal tests detected a heart defect.
Cousins stated: "I think there was a bit of fear and shock as well. I'd gone through that myself. How do you tell someone that you've already gone through all that by yourself?" She added that Gardner had not wanted the baby at first, which complicated matters: "He had gone from that to, 'Here we go, we are actually going to have it,' and then to wanting it." Gardner says he has no memory of her ever telling him about a miscarriage.
Discovery of the doll
Cousins claimed she gave birth to a baby weighing 5lb 4oz and kept the doll away from her family, saying: "All of my family had been asking, 'What is going on? Is she depressed?' because I wouldn't let anyone near that doll, only me and Jamie." She alleged Gardner cared for what he thought was their newborn during visits to his parents' home.
The deception unravelled days later when younger relatives grew suspicious during a car journey and told their mother the "baby" was a doll. Cousins' mother eventually discovered the lifelike doll in her bedroom in October. Those close to them noted they never heard the "baby" cry. Cousins herself claims she told Gardner the truth, but he disputes that, saying the discovery did not come through her.
Aftermath
Recounting the confession, Cousins said: "He said, 'You're a psycho,' and walked out. That was the last time we've ever saw each other." She said they have spoken since but the relationship is unclear. She also pulled out of a planned TV documentary over editing concerns. Gardner said: "I want to get as far away from her as possible. I just want to move on with my life."
