Former Love Island star Paige Thorne has hit back at online critics mocking the name of her newborn baby boy, Fateley Hayes Wedlake, after she announced his birth on Instagram.
Paige, 29, and her partner Drew Wedlake welcomed their first child together, a baby boy named Fateley Hayes Wedlake. On September 30, Paige shared the happy news on her Instagram page, posting adorable snaps of herself and Drew with their newborn.
She captioned the post: "Fateley Hayes Wedlake, we never knew a love like this existed." The post racked up more than 240,000 likes as fans and former Love Island co-stars alike flooded her social media with well-wishes. Among those sending congratulations were villa favourites Tasha Ghouri, Dami Hope, Andrew Le Page, Olivia Hawkins, and Danica Taylor.
Pronunciation clarified
Not everybody was enamoured with the baby name choice, however, with some online commenters taking aim - questioning whether it sounded too similar to the word "fatally" or poking fun at potential nicknames.
Following the fierce online debate, Paige, who originally hails from Swansea, Wales, headed to TikTok to address the pronunciation confusion and fire back at the critics, setting the record straight that it is pronounced "Fate-Lee". She bluntly told viewers to "keep your opinions to yourself".
In her full message, the reality star said: "It's adorable, and if you don't like it, keep your opinions to yourself, be a better person. Eww if you've got negative energy towards it. But it's FATE-ley. Fate for short, not fat. Why would you even think that? FATE-ley... FATE-ley."
"Thank you to everyone who is loving it and is giving us loads and loads of lovely messages, we're feeling very loved. But just thought I'd clear up his name and how you pronounce it and what it's shortened to. Thanks."
Supporters rally behind Paige
Supporters were quick to rally behind Paige on the post, which has since racked up more than 139,000 likes. One person replied: "Imagine just having a baby, and then having to explain your newborns name to the internet. Congratulations on baby Fateley." While another added: "I like it, what's everyone's problem?"
Yet some trolls continued to mock the name, with one person asking: "Why would you call him that?" Another chimed in: "Bit close to 'fatally' no?" While a third commented: "Paige it's time for you to change it before it finalised. You get a 30-day grace period with the registration people."
Name origins and relationship timeline
Many followers also queried whether the name was Welsh. Fateley is not a Welsh name - it actually has historical roots in English and Irish origins. It is recorded as a rare variation of the English surname Gately or Faircley, which historically originated from Lancashire or the West Midlands region.
Linguistically, its contemporary use as a given name is frequently associated with the English word "fate" or "destiny".
Paige Thorne and Drew Wedlake have been an item for just over a year. The couple officially confirmed their romance on Instagram back in July 2025, and relocated together to Bristol after approximately three months of dating. The pair announced in March this year that they were expecting their first child together, roughly eight months into their relationship.
