EMOTIONAL Brian Dowling has told of his heartache over not being named on his two children's birth certs - and revealed how he picked the tots' names. The Six O'Clock Show host and his Dancing With The Stars judge husband Arthur Gourounlian have welcomed both of their children through surrogacy over the past two years. Brian 's sister Aoife Dowling acted as the pair's surrogate to carry daughters Blake, born in September 2022, and Blu, who they welcomed in June of this year.
Big Brother legend Brian explained that Arthur is the biological father of both of their children. Brian had previously discovered he had fertility issues when they first started their surrogacy journey. The Irish presenter became emotional when talking about the subject and added: "I even hate saying that sentence because I feel like it degrades and devalues my relationship with my children.
"At the moment Aoife is the legal mother to both our children but not the biological mother because we used an egg donor. "So they’re on the birth certificate, I’m not. "We are hoping there will be a time soon in Ireland where my name will be on it.
I feel like, because it’s a legal document for the girls, and that, we are both their parents, and also for Aoife. "Aoife does not want her name on a legal document, for a child that’s not hers." The TV star gestured to the hosts on the Loose Women panel and emphasised "right now you all have the same rights over my children as I do".
He added: "Change is needed, change is coming. People think surrogacy is a gay issue, but it’s not, it's a family issue and so many people have been fighting this fight long before us." Brian, 46, said his sister Aoife has been incredibly strong during the whole process.
He added: "I think in Ireland, the lack of legislation, I think people sometimes always see surrogates as victims and my sister Aoife is certainly no victim. "She's a very strong, strong woman, and just so graceful and just handed it with..
.I don't know where she gets her strength from honestly, because what she's done is so courageous and kind of put herself in the firing line as well for a lot of hatred, a lot of trolling." And Brian also told how he chose both his children's names and joked: "I chose both names.
Arthur got the DNA so I needed to get the names, and because my ego is so fragile, I wanted both our children to be BDG like me. "We've got Blake Maria Rose, Blake we loved and Maria is for Arthur's mum and then Rose is for our mum who passed away in 2018. "Then we have Blu, Blu was supposed to be Blu Valentina Rose and then Arthur wanted something Armenian so it's Blu Amar Rose and Amar translates to summer in Armenian.
" And Brian and Arthur opened up on their emotional surrogacy journey as well as the cruel trolling they've experienced during it. Arthur told how he had never experienced homophobia until himself and Brian had announced they would be starting a family together. Speaking on Loose Women, the 44-year-old said: "We’ve been attacked left right and centre.
People say things like, 'It’s disgusting, two men can’t have kids, it’s not a family'. "But I always said to Brian, it doesn't affect me because I know who I am, I know who my friends are and we support and love each other. "People say the proof is in the pudding and the pudding we have is our beautiful daughters.
"They are my legacy. I want to give everything to them. Kids just need love.
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