Ireland Baldwin Shares Reason She Is Rooting for Stepmom Hilaria on ‘DWTS’
NEED TO KNOW
- Ireland Baldwin shared a heartfelt message in support of stepmom Hilaria Baldwin ahead of her participation in season 34 of Dancing with the Stars
- She gushed over Hilaria’s dedication to her husband and Ireland’s father, Alec Baldwin, and keeping their relationship intact through hard times
- Ireland also poked fun at rumors that she stays in contact with the family for her “inheritance,” which she quipped, “I’m not getting” either way
Ireland Baldwin is Hilaria Baldwin’s biggest fan!
After it was announced that Hilaria, 41, would be competing on the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars with pro Gleb Savchenko, her 29-year-old stepdaughter reacted to the news.
In a sweet Instagram post on Thursday, Sept. 4, Ireland expressed her support for the mom of seven.
“I wanted to take a second to talk about my step mom @hilariabaldwin,” it began. “I think if people actually knew her the way I do, they would be quite surprised. This post may come out of left field since I don’t post about her or any family members much. I expect misinformed comments and plenty of comments about me only playing nice so I can secure my inheritance.”
“C’mon, people. I see the comments. I’m not getting an inheritance. I have 7 siblings 😂,” Ireland joked. “These thoughts have been on my mind since I last visited her on the east coast. Hilaria has had a far more complex and chaotic upbringing than she lets on and I think that’s why we’ve maybe bonded in someways? She didn’t always feel safe and seen. Sometimes, she is too loyal to a fault.”
Ireland teased Hilaria for being “eccentric and totally bat shit crazy (in a fun way),” but praised her because “she saved my dad’s life.”
The model went on to explain how Hilaria helped her husband Alec Baldwin — who was previously married to Ireland’s mom Kim Basinger from 1993 until 2002 — turn “his health around” while showing him “the forgiveness and kindness that he needed” throughout their 13-year marriage.
“She also recognizes and nourishes the parts of my father that are the most compassionate and wonderful,” Ireland gushed. “She’s taught him that he doesn’t need to suffer inside of his own head and stay stuck in his own past. That it’s never too late to admit you need help and it’s never too late to learn to be kind to yourself.”
She continued: “Hilaria is the reason I am able to have the close relationship with my father that I do. She is the reason I get to have siblings/a big family that I’ve always wanted. She has always respected me, accepted my flaws, embraced me, and has always shown me kindness. I met her as a teenager and I needed her as an example. I still very much look up to her now.”
Monica Schipper/Getty
Ireland concluded the post, which featured a photo of her holding up a dog and the yoga instructor with one of her babies, by saying that she is “so proud” of Hilaria for participating in DWTS.
“I CANNOT wait to cheer her a– on,” she wrote. “She deserves this! And it’s not my place to share the ins and outs, but this woman is a gem and deserves all the love.”
Hilaria reacted to the message in the comments, writing, “I’m crying. I love you with all my heart, @irelandirelandireland ❤️. These words mean so much. You mean so much to me 💙”
In an interview with PEOPLE after the DWTS season 34 cast reveal on Sept. 3, Hilaria opened up about her excitement to be on the popular dance competition series.
“Half of it I have zero experience with, and some of it I have experience with a long, long time ago,” she noted of her background in dance.
“I’m a little rusty,” she laughed. “I’ll just have to dust off the moves a little bit and oil up the joints.”
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Savchenko, also 41, added that he is “most looking forward to” having a partner who he can “really enjoy” working with this season.
“We can actually go out there and create something,” he said. “I can create something that will be hopefully an incredible routine and tell the story through dance. That’s what I’m all about and that’s what Hilaria brings to the floor.”
Applauding the reality star for her dedication to the craft, Savchenko explained that the pair “have the same goal, same vision.”
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Dancing with the Stars season 34 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and simulcast on Disney+. The show streams the next day on Hulu.
Credit to Nypost AND Peoples