Helen George had a dignified response for a troll who made the cruel comment that she should "be put on a diet". The 33-year-old actress was pregnant with her first child while filming Call the Midwife, and after scenes aired over the weekend, one viewer took to Twitter to write: "Helen George is massive. She should be put on a diet. #callthemidwife." After receiving a backlash from other viewers, he continued: "Mmm, obviously used [pregnancy] as an excuse to gain all them chins."
Helen was quick to respond, writing: "Sorry if my chins offended you, I chose to feed my baby healthily and not starve myself in a selfish act to look good on TV. Would you say this to a pregnant lady's face? You should look on pregnant ladies' multiple chins with love, they are busy making the future x."
Helen responded to the cruel comment
The actress' fans rallied around her, with her tweet amassing more than 12,000 likes. "Helen, you are beautiful. Take care of yourself and junior," one follower wrote, while another enthused: "Well said healthy mum, healthy baby, you are lovely." A third commented on how well she managed to conceal her pregnancy, writing: "I was amazed how well it was hidden on screen, a fab job by all, you looked beautiful as always x."
Helen admits Call the Midwife stories put her off natural birth
On Sunday night, viewers were left heartbroken after Helen's character Trixie Franklin left the show as part of her alcoholism storyline. Fans saw Trixie break down in tears, admitting that she needed to spend some time away from Nonnatus House. Sister Julienne, played by Jenny Agutter, then gave her a leave of absence of six months.
Helen welcomed her daughter Wren Ivy in September
Fans need not worry though. While Helen is taking a few months off to care for her newborn baby, the popular actress will be making a return to the BBC One show. Before Christmas, creator Heidi Thomas said: "Helen was able to graciously retire – she just had a couple of episodes off. But we were working towards that."
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Helen explained that it wouldn't have been right for her character Trixie to be pregnant, so they concealed her real-life bump. "I was pregnant in the series, so you just kind of see me walk across the screen sometimes with odd fashions, or I'd sit down a lot, or I'm wearing lots of capes," she said. "It wasn't a correct storyline to choose for the character, as well. It wasn't right for Trixie to be pregnant. So we just did our best to cover it up."