THEIR podcast was supposed to be a safe space for unfiltered conversations about relationships and families, but instead, it’s become a cause for concern for Louise Thompson and Ryan Libbey’s fans.
This week, things reached boiling point as Louise, 36, and her fiancé, 35, giggled about children going to school without being potty trained or being able to eat on their own on the He Said, She Said podcast. Listeners branded the conversation “disgusting and disappointing”, and now insiders tell us how the bubble is about to burst for the Made In Chelsea star.
Our source explained: “Louise has, of course, been through a hell of a lot in her life and is entitled to an opinion, but she has really hit a nerve with this one.
“She seems to have forgotten that she is in an incredibly privileged position with a healthy four-year-old son and lots of time and money, which of course all play a part.
“It’s a real shame she didn’t think before she started laughing because it would have upset a lot of people.
“It’s very surprising considering how much work she has done for mothers in the past.”
In a clip, which has now been deleted from social media, Louise and Ryan discuss the number of children who are attending school without being potty-trained.
Outraged by the stats, Louise insisted: “I think a basic human right is to teach your child before the age of four how to use the loo and how to wipe their bum.”
Clearly amused, Louise is heard giggling as she explained: “One in four children are sent to school before they’re potty trained, which means that the teachers are having to change their nappies and then wipe their bum. 88% of kids are going to reception, unable to eat and drink on their own.”
Looking horrified, Ryan replied: “They’ve got nappies on, and they can’t feed or drink themselves.”
Musing on why she thinks it might be the case, Louise said: “Maybe it’s like a bit of a cop out there, like, oh my child’s crying, and they’re being a bit difficult, I can’t be bothered with the hassle.
“I think that people are so distracted these days with screens that they can’t be bothered to dedicate the time.”
But shockingly, they then revealed that their own son Leo was potty-trained by Ryan’s parents while they were on holiday without him.
He admitted: “My parents pretty much broke the back on the potty training for us with Leo because we went away for a week and he went to his grandparents and they got him out of nappies in a week. It was quite convenient to be honest.”
A recent survey found that one in four children who started reception in 2025 were not toilet-trained. The stats did not count delays that may be related to disabilities or special educational needs.
It’s a highly sensitive topic, and understandably, the comments have sparked a huge debate.
Reality star, entrepreneur and mum-of-three Lateshya Grace has been vocal in her upset. She shared: “Mocking children for wearing nappies, struggling with toileting, feeding, communication, or developmental delays is honestly disgusting.
“So many families are already dealing with enough without hearing people laugh at situations they clearly don’t understand. Not every child develops the same, and many children facing these challenges have disabilities, additional needs or medical conditions that are nobody else’s business to judge.
“Calling parents “lazy” because their child needs extra support is such an ignorant and privileged take. Most parents in these situations are doing everything they possibly can behind closed doors while fighting battles people never even see.”
Lateshya continued: “Deleting the clip without properly addressing it or apologising doesn’t take away from the damage caused either.
“Children deserve compassion, patience and understanding, not to be mocked for content or podcast conversation. Please educate yourselves before speaking on topics that affect vulnerable children and families.
“You should be ashamed of yourself. Some people honestly don’t even deserve a platform.”
Her thoughts were echoed by lots of parents online as the clip went viral, despite their best efforts to remove it.
Holly Steer, who runs the Instagram account autismandourworld, dedicated a whole post to the podcast.
She wrote: “Platforms that should be used to promote kindness, compassion, and understanding are instead being used to mock and ridicule children with special needs, and to blame parents for developmental delays that are often far more complex than people realise.”
Her own harrowing story and her past work have only added to her fans’ confusion.
Indeed, Louise has dedicated much of the past few years to improving maternity care after her own life-threatening situation, which means she now wears a colostomy bag.
In 2021, she suffered a near-fatal birth with son, Leo, after an emergency C-section led to catastrophic bleeding. She later required a stoma bag and revealed how she suffered PTSD from the traumatic labour.
She also suffers from lupus, a chronic autoimmune condition that has left her with exhaustion and joint pain, and said she was diagnosed with hydrosalpinx – a condition where a fallopian tube becomes blocked and swells with watery fluid.
Others also pointed out that Louise’s own brother – fellow TV star Sam – was recently diagnosed with ADHD and ASD, adding: “I really expected more from a person who has a brother who is neurodivergent.”
And she won’t be getting much sympathy from her former Made In Chelsea co-stars either, after she made it clear how she had moved on after the show.
After attending the Baftas this weekend, Louise took a swipe at the likes of ex Spencer Matthews and her one-time arch nemesis Lucy Watson as she failed to acknowledge them.
Posing with Millie Mackintosh at the awards, she also shared a throwback with her former cast mates, and wrote: “Here are some photos of Millie and I (and other cast members) attending the BAFTAs in 2013, when we won a Bafta for Made in Chelsea… THIRTEEN years ago.”
Our insider said: “Louise has made it quite clear that she’s got very little interest in some of her old castmates. After what she went through having her son, she made a decision to distance herself from MIC drama, and it’s fair to say there’s no love lost with some of them.”
Just last week, Louise met the then Health Secretary Wes Streeting to discuss her petition to appoint a maternity commissioner and improve care for mothers and babies. She left feeling “genuinely optimistic”.
Some NHS practitioners have expressed concerns about her appraisal of the service, which they believe could be damaging to expectant mothers.
One midwife, who has worked for the NHS for ten years, expressed upset about “being blamed for women’s traumas” and pointed out that there have been issues with funding and resources for more than twenty years, which is something midwives have been fighting for day in, day out.
Louise is clearly playing an important part in advocating for change, but whether her fans will be able to forgive her faux pas is yet to be seen.