Former EastEnders star Melissa Suffield has been praised for discussing her 'belly overhang' almost three years after giving birth to her son, River. The 29-year-old actress, best known for playing Lucy Beale on the BBC soap from 2004 to 2010, took to Instagram to share a comparison video showing her stomach at three days postpartum and again at 32 months postpartum.
In the clip, Suffield wrote: 'There is no time limit. You don't have to “snap back”. Take it at your own pace.' She further explained in the caption that 'you don’t owe anyone a flat stomach or visible abs,' and referred to the condition as 'the Mother’s Apron as it’s (hideously) known.' She noted that researching how to lose belly fat can lead to 'dangerous schemes, surgeries, and straight up lies.'
Suffield, who shares two-year-old River with husband Robert Brendan, has previously posted body-positive content. In the recent caption, she described the struggle of tucking the overhang into jeans and the relief of accepting it. 'If your belly is because of pregnancy, it's ok to have not lost the baby weight or to have the overhang remain if you did,' she wrote.
The post garnered over a thousand likes and prompted supportive comments from followers. One wrote: 'I have a very similar body shape... You give me hope I will love my tummy again one day.' Another said: 'Well done for keeping it real. We need more like you.'
