‘I burst out crying’: Hollyoaks stars Kelle Bryan and Chelsee Healey describe ‘vile’ racist abuse directed towards their young children
Hollyoaks actors Kelle Bryan and Chelsee Healey have described the ‘vile’ racist abuse directed towards their children.
Kelle, 45, and Chelsee, 32, spoke candidly about their personal experiences of racism in a discussion with Loose women panelist Brenda Edwards, 51, on the Channel 4 soap’s Don’t Filter Feelings podcast.
Kelle, who is best known for playing Martine Deveraux since 2018, described the impact of her son being racialised at just five years old.
‘Vile’ abuse: Kelle Bryan, left, and Chelsee Healey, right, have spoken candidly about the racism directed towards their families
She said: ‘He came home and he was really upset, and at that point I’d raised him to see people as human beings and as people, not as colours.
‘I had to have a conversation with him about race and I explained the differences between black and white people and the difficulties that that might have, and the implications of that, which he’d already experienced at five.
She nevertheless added resolutely: ‘I think it’s really important that my children understand and have a pride in who they are, an understanding of where they’ve come from and the sacrifices that have been made for them to have the lifestyle that they live’.
Chelsee, who has played Goldie McQueen in the soap since 2016, described recent abuse directed towards her daughter that was particularly upsetting.
Candid: Kelle and Chelsee were speaking to Loose Women’s Brenda Edwards (pictured), who also shared her experiences of racism
She said: ‘I got the most vile, vile message about her, actually not too long ago… I just looked at them and burst out crying.
‘There’s been another time when she came back from nursery, and she said “Mummy, I have brown skin. My friends say I’m brown”.
‘So I just said, my reaction was, “Yeah, but you’re beautiful and brown. Brown is so beautiful”.
‘I think she’s a little bit too young now to be having the conversation with her, but just so she knows that brown is so beautiful.’
Loving mum: Kelle is pictured with her daughter and son on holiday
Brenda added that she felt annoyed when people started telling her to act in a certain way in the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests.
She said: ‘I had a lot of people messaging me directly on social media saying to me to use my platform to say something, and putting me under that pressure.
‘I thought to myself, I have no problem with saying what is on my mind, I’ve never had a problem in saying what I believe.
‘[But] there was a part of me that felt a little bit of resentment. Don’t tell me how to feel.’
Spitting image: Chelsee is pictured here with her daughter, who has experienced racism at a very young age