Abbey Clancy defends her mum Karen after the name becomes a controversial meme

07 November 2023 , 21:10

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Abbey Clancy defends her mum Karen after the name becomes a controversial meme (Image: Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)

Abbey Clancy defended her mum, named Karen, as she discussed the controversial nature of the name.

The model, married to footballer Peter Crouch, is the daughter of Karen Sullivan and Geoffrey Thomas Clancy. Over the years, the name 'Karen' became an internet joke to refer to people who are seen as entitled or demanding beyond what is socially normal. Karens are described as those who are argumentative and hard to reason with.

Research done by Paddy Power Games found that almost a third of women in the UK named Karen were embarrassed by their name. In 2022, only one baby was named Karen. Abbey, whose mother has the not-so-popular name, discussed the 'incredible qualities' her mum has while joking about the stereotypes.

"My mum’s called Karen!," she said at the reveal of the study. Abbey, who starred in an advert for the company, added: "She’s got so many incredible qualities, but that there is a couple of those stereotypical ‘Karen’ qualities in there."

Abbey's mother's name is Karen (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

She joked about the stereotype (Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)

Many names have dropped in popularity over the years, including the likes of Donald and other old-fashioned names like Sheila, Deirdre and Shirley. Last year, Sarah Redshaw, managing editor for BabyCentre UK, said: “After becoming the name of a million memes it looks like Karen is only just hanging on. We could very well see it drop off completely next year.

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"And it’s no surprise that Donald is meeting the same kind of fate after the last US president’s controversial time in office.” Meanwhile, Strictly Come Dancing 2013 champion Abbey tied the knot with retired footballer Pete in 2011 and the happy couple share four children; Sophia, Liberty, Johnny, and Jack.

Earlier this year, Abbey admitted she felt like she was struggling when it came to managing her children and their after-school commitments. She said she didn't know how she was managing to "keep up" with other mothers despite her children being "so well-behaved".

However, she added that her children sometimes ignored the rules she and Peter set them and lacked discipline at times. During the couple's The Therapy Crouch podcast in June, she said: "These kids of ours have so many opportunities that we didn't have and my fear is, if you've got all this handed to you on a plate, you're not going to try for anything in life," Abbey began when sharing her worries with Pete.

"I'm not saying me or you had a bad upbringing whatsoever," she added when chatting with her husband. My childhood was incredible but definitely didn't have what they have - a private education and all that's on offer at the school." The mum-of-four added about her worries: "They're so lucky but it's so normal to them. Are they appreciating it?"

Zara Woodcock