Ulrika Jonsson says 'fame hungry' Maisie Smith and Max George have 'betrayed' their fans by pulling a fake pregnancy stunt.
Former EastEnders star Maisie, 21, took to her Instagram stories to post a photo of herself and The Wanted singer Max, 34, posing with a 'bump'.
After the post, the pair received angry backlash on social media but the couple appeared to have ignored the criticism and decided to make light of the situation on a romantic holiday Abu Dhabi.
That hasn't stopped many back home having their say after they sparked anger.
In the Instagram story snaps, Maisie and Max can be seen posing in front of a mirror as Max holds his hand over his mouth while looking down at her tummy.
The actress then covered her stomach with a red heart emoji.
Writing below the photo, Maisie teased: "We've got some really exciting news."
The next story saw Maisie remove the heart from her stomach and wrote: "I just had the best 5 course meal of my life."
She then joked she had a "food baby".
Ulrika is one of those not happy with the pair and she says it was a desperate bid for headlines.
She wrote in her column for the Sun that she wasn't surprised by the backlash.
"For all those die-hard fans who hang on every word and loved-up picture the couple post. It must have felt like an insult and a betrayal," she penned.
"What really got my goat was the fact that, once again, this publicity-hungry couple did it all for attention.
"This was all about creating a stir, getting noticed and making sure they kept their names in the news."
The prank sparked an angry reaction from fans as one wrote on Twitter : "As someone on the waiting list for IVF not knowing if I'll ever be a mother, I am disgusted by @maisie_smith_ and @MaxGeorge idea of a 'joke'. Unbelievable insensitive and delusional."
"Pretending they had a fake announcement that she was pregnant that was actually her stomach bloated from food. No tact at all. So pathetic," a second wrote.
And a third added: "@MaxGeorge @maisie_smith_ Don’t think this is something either of you should be joking about tbh. Disgusting."
"Them posting this broke me am currently going through the loss of my baby and for them to joke about been pregnant when all I wish was I was still pregnant," a third added.
The pair have been dating for nearly a year. The pair were first linked after they were spotted kissing and cuddling on a flight in August.
Max confirmed his romance with Maisie when he posted a promotional snap of Maisie on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
