A woman at the centre of a 'fake baby' scandal has spoken out about the controversy for the very first time. Kira Cousins, a 23-year-old former supermarket worker, made headlines around the world last October after she deceived her then boyfriend and family into thinking she was pregnant - before passing off a plastic doll as her newborn baby.
In her first ever interview, Kira explained why she faked giving birth to a daughter she named Bonnie-Leigh Joyce, while ex-boyfriend Jamie Gardner said he genuinely believed the doll was real. Kira, from Airdrie, Scotland, acknowledged that what she did was wrong - but claimed she was unable to tell Jamie she was no longer pregnant after suffering a miscarriage.
Kira wore an artificial baby bump for months, shared baby scan images and even threw a lavish gender reveal party. Throughout a deception that spanned several months, she also posted pictures of baby clothes and gifts, alongside what is believed to have been AI-generated footage showing the 'baby' kicking inside her womb. She wrote about hospital appointments and claimed antenatal tests had detected a heart defect.
Kira said she allowed Jamie to believe she was still pregnant, and her elaborate deception spiralled out of control because she was frightened of telling him the truth. 'I think there was a bit of fear and shock as well,' she said. 'How do you tell someone that you've already gone through all that by yourself?' She claimed Jamie had cared for what he believed was their newborn during visits to his parents' home.
It is understood it was Kira's mother who eventually discovered the lifelike doll concealed in her bedroom in October, while those closest to Kira grew suspicious after never hearing the 'baby' cry. Kira is said to have claimed that Bonnie-Leigh died. She ultimately confessed to Jamie that the baby was a plastic doll several days later.
