Joe Wicks sparks debate after sharing ‘irresponsible’ photo of his daughter as he balances her in one hand

joe wicks controversial instagram photo balance baby daughter
(Image credit: REX/Shutterstock)

Joe Wicks has been criticised by fans for posting an ‘irresponsible’ photo of his baby daughter.

The fitness expert, who is known as the Body Coach, took to Instagram to share a sweet snap of him and his eight-month-old daughter enjoying some time on the beach while on holiday in Costa Rica.

However, he quickly came under fire for the ‘irresponsible’ actions he was taking in the photo.

The picture shows the dad-of-one, who welcomed daughter Indie with his partner Rosie Jones back in July, holding his little one upright in just one hand.

Fans were quick to point out that the move could be a risky one to take when it came to the safety of his child.

‘What I say might attract criticism but I feel that it’s a little irresponsible of you,’ wrote one follower.

‘You’re in a foreign country, on the beach, miles away from anywhere you could get medical assistance,’ he pointed out. ‘If you have dropped her God forbid, even worse on her head, what would’ve you done?

‘You would not have posted this picture on Instagram to begin with, and at worst ended up in the hospital. And for what reason? To get some likes on Instagram? Was it truly worth the risk?’

Another Instagram user echoed these sentiments, writing: ‘Babies are unpredictable and can lunge quickly. He may have lost his grip or hurt her ankle/feet when he tried to hang on to her.

‘It’s just an un-necessary thing to do for the sake of a good photo.’

Another commented simply: ‘Dangerous’.

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However, other fans were quick to jump to the 32-year-old’s defence, sharing personal stories of their own experiences with this move.

‘Give the guy a break,’ wrote one fan. ‘He has one hand free to catch Indie if she falls and the hand that he’s holding her with, you can clearly see he has a great grip on her little tootsies not to mention he trains well so he’s strong enough to hold her.

‘Let them share a wonderful moment.’

‘If he was under the influence of drink or drugs then yes irresponsible,’ added another, ‘but no he wasn’t and had a good grip, she was perfectly safe and having fun’.

And there were those who believed there was nothing to worry about because they were convinced that camera trickery was at work, with one writing: ‘Balanced or clever photography?’

Have you or any of your family members tried this move? Do you think it is irresponsible of Joe to try it? Have your say over on our Facebook page.

Aleesha Badkar
Lifestyle Writer

Aleesha Badkar is a lifestyle writer who specialises in health, beauty - and the royals. After completing her MA in Magazine Journalism at the City, the University of London in 2017, she interned at Women’s Health, Stylist, and Harper’s Bazaar, creating features and news pieces on health, beauty, and fitness, wellbeing, and food. She loves to practice what she preaches in her everyday life with copious amounts of herbal tea, Pilates, and hyaluronic acid.