Arthur Gourounlian said he is considering legal action over vile abuse spewed at him and husband Brian Dowling about their road to parenthood.
The couple were inundated with kind messages following the release of a documentary tracking their surrogacy journey with six-month-old daughter Blake. But Armenian-born Arthur, 42, revealed they were taking legal advice after one troll levelled disgusting allegations at the pair.
The Dancing With The Stars judge told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “It’s only one per cent, the other 99% have been incredible. The bad comments have been ‘you’re depriving your child from [sic] its mother. Another – ‘you chose to be gay so you renounced your right to be parents’.
Read more: Ireland reacts as Brian Dowling and Arthur Gourounlian share surrogacy journey in RTE documentary
“It’s disgusting. It’s evil. It’s homophobia... some people think being gay it’s a sin to have a family.
“There’s a really bad comment... saying we are paedophiles grooming our child. I have the message screen grabbed.
“When you read that comment, we need to take legal action because that’s beyond... you’re calling me a paedophile on a public platform. That’s disgusting. We are taking legal advice.
“We are in talks to see what kind of legal action we can take.”
Arthur and Big Brother star Brian, 44, have been open about their path to fatherhood with Brian’s sister Aoife as surrogate. Asked if he has concerns for Blake’s privacy he replied: “Where I’m coming from, you know, being a refugee, I don’t have any pictures from when I was young.
“I feel like I’m obsessed with videos and pictures, because I’m so proud. I am doing this because I want to share this beautiful journey of what we’re going through.
“Of course there might be a time when Blake grows up saying I don’t want to be on social media.
“Hand on my heart [if she says that] it’s done and finished, gone. But of course right now, you know, she loves social media, she loves the cameras, she’s definitely our daughter.”
Arthur and fellow judges Brian Redmond and Loraine Barry will deliver their final critique on tonight’s grand finale of Dancing With The Stars. But the public vote will determine whether Brooke Scullion, Carl Mullan, Damian McGinty or Suzanne Jackson lifts the glitterball trophy.
He described Panti Bliss’ performance, dancing as Rory O’Neill, to the Pet Shop Boys’ It’s a Sin during dedication week as the series highlight.
He said: “I think that’s going to go down in history. I remember I sat there watching, I couldn’t talk, my mouth was dry, I was so emotional.
“It was incredible, it gave me goosebumps. I am sad [it will be over]. I love every single minute of it. I’ve had an epic 11 weeks.
“I think it’s the strongest season and the final four are strong. It’s so unpredictable, even the dance offs were. It’s in the public’s hands.”
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