A source has told Mirror that Michelle Keegan is refusing to be drawn into drama with her husband Mark Wright’s family after mum-in-law Carol’s words about women in bikinis were thought by fans to be a subtle dig at the actress
Michelle Keegan ‘desperate to steer clear’ of Wright family drama(Image: Getty Images for Atlantis The Royal)
The backlash surrounding the Wright family is showing no signs of abating, with matriarch Carol’s daughter-in-law Michelle Keegan caught in the crossfire.
Trouble first flared after Carol and her daughters, Jess, 40, and Natalya, 25, enraged fans by blasting women who opt for skimpy beachwear. Now sources have told Mirror that Michelle is desperate to steer clear of the furore.
The Wright ladies sparked a wave of controversy after bashing women who wear thongs to the beach. Speaking on their Wright At Home podcast, Carol, 65, branded thong bikinis and those who wear them as “gross and unattractive”.
Jess agreed, saying, “I can’t stand how it’s acceptable to walk around on the beach in a thong”, while younger sister Natalya was clearly on the same page.
Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright are married(Image: Instagram/wrighty_)
“Do you know what’s worse?” she chimed in. “These girls who do wear them – fair enough if you’re gonna wear them – [but] at least if you’re going to bend over and put your towel on your bed, put a sarong on!”
As the debate raged on, Carol said she believed the style is “not sexy for men to look at”, while Jess confirmed that her husband, William Lee Kemp, “cannot stand” the bum-baring trend. “Put it away and leave something to the imagination,” she said. “Who wants to see up their butts?”
Unfortunately, some fans took their outspoken comments to be a thinly veiled dig at Carol’s bikini-loving daughter-in-law, Michelle Keegan, 38, who is the proud owner of her own swimwear brand, Orfila Bee.
Shortly after the podcast aired, followers branded their remarks “degrading and disrespectful”, with many pointing out that Jess herself has previously been a fan of skimpy swimwear.
“I remember Jess in thong bikinis, with her a**e hanging out,” recalled one. “Can’t stand hypocrites.” Another said it was a case of “pot kettle black”, while a third leapt to Michelle’s defence, arguing, “If I had a body like Michelle Keegan I would never be out of a bikini. She has the right to wear whatever she chooses.”
Carol and her daughters Natalya and Jess were in hot water for their bikini comments(Image: Getty Images for the NTA’s)
Last week Mark was reportedly “furious, embarrassed and humiliated” over Carol and her daughters’ criticisms, with a source telling new that “family tensions” are sky high. “Mark adores his wife and he doesn’t want her upset,” says our source. “The backlash around the podcast and negativity is not going down at all well.”
In an embarrassing twist that’s bound to rile Mark, fans even drew parallels between Michelle and the way his ex, Lauren Goodger, 39, was alleged to have been treated by the Wright women. One said, “They were vile to poor Lauren. See karma does catch up!”, while another echoed the opinion, stating, “Never liked the Wrights and how they treated Lauren.”
While our source says Carol is “all about her family”, there’s no escaping the fact that her, Jess and Natalya’s comments have fallen horribly flat with fans.
“The Wright family are becoming not very well-liked because of it. It’s very obvious and it’s been going on a long time,” says our source. “There are a lot of people that don’t like the way they treat people – like they’re above everyone.
“Mark is a family man, but he doesn’t want his mum getting involved and making sly digs on a podcast. He loves his family, but there’s only so much Michelle will take – and he always sides with his wife.”
Michelle has her own swimwear brand(Image: @michkeegan/Instagram)
She has reportedly told Mark to leave her out of the drama with his family(Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Despite how things might appear on the surface, our source says their comments were never intended to hurt. “The Wrights have fallouts like any family, but they are all close and would never do anything intentionally to upset Michelle,” says our source. “Carol and Jess are mortified by the negative comments and backlash they are getting.”
Last week, they backtracked dramatically on their remarks, issuing a public apology to fans. “In response to comments we made on our podcast. We’ve listened, we hear you and we want to say sorry,” Jess wrote in a statement on Instagram. “Our judgement was wrong and we take full accountability and will do better moving forward. Love Jess, Natalya and Carol.”
Fool Me Once actress Michelle appeared keen to move on from the drama last week, as she shared photos from her daughter Palma’s first birthday party on Instagram. Reflecting on the milestone, Michelle mused, “Can I ask where the past year’s gone please?”
According to our source, Michelle refuses to become embroiled in the swimwear-related storm. “Michelle has warned Mark [to] just to leave her out of it,” we’re told. “She doesn’t want to get involved with the negativity.
“She’s earned a lot of money in her own right and she’s got her own career. She’s also very intelligent and smart. Mark is trying his best to navigate it, because he’s a big family man and he loves them all.”
Michelle’s spokesperson said: “There are no tensions between Michelle and the Wrights.”
