Hollyoaks star Daisy Wood-Davis hits back at trolls after her toddler son played with a dress

Hollyoaks star Daisy Wood-Davis has responded to negative comments after facing criticism for allowing her two-year-old son to wear a dress.

The actress, famed for her role as Kim Butterfield in the Channel 4 drama, addressed the issue on her social media after her son Asa's interest in dresses at preschool sparked a conversation. She shared an update from the preschool that expressed support for her son's freedom to choose his attire.

Daisy recounted an incident where older children told Asa that "boys don't wear dresses" during playtime at a play village. She expressed her strong feelings on the matter, stating: "I feel so passionate about this, not just in case Asa wants to wear a dress one day but to make sure he is never the child who bullies or puts another down for being 'different' which seems to happen from such a young age it's scary! ".

She continued, highlighting the early imposition of gender norms: "I can't believe children's innocence is taken away so early by gender normative views which doesn't necessarily mean a homophobic parent is at home but it's a parent that doesn't care enough to actively bring it up and discuss it with their child. Rant over."

Daisy also clarified: "I should also add he wasn't wearing a dress in the play village. He was with his Nana but I believe he was also merely looking at the dressing up items when the boys needed to tell him this 'fact'," reports the Mirror.

However, Daisy was soon met with harsh messages suggesting her son shouldn't wear a dress. Unfazed, Daisy clapped back at the negativity.

One message read: "This is what is wrong with the world now. Is it normal for a little boy to wear a dress... no it's not and personally I don't want to explain to my son why other boys are wearing dresses! Are you also letting him decide what gender he is when he is clearly a boy? ".

Daisy responded by posting a screenshot of the message on her Instagram Stories, though she wasn't shocked by the criticism. Her reply was clear: "And here they are... crawling out of the woodwork. I am laughing out loud that you think me letting my two-year-old play in a dress is him telling me he's a different gender.

"He doesn't know his surname, how on earth would he know that about himself yet? Why are you so scared? As parents, we should want to nurture our children's innocence, play, creativity and expression. I'm so sorry your kids haven't been able to experience that and you're so frightful of a little boy in a dress."

Following her candid post, Daisy has received an influx of supportive messages. Asa is Daisy's first child with her partner and fellow Hollyoaks actor, Luke Jerdy, who they welcomed into their lives in September 2022.