'I've spent £6,000 on 15 Reborn dolls but Kira Cousins' fake baby scandal terrifies me'
Jess Ellis, 29, has spent over £6,000 on her collection of 15 reborn dolls, which she says are 'beautiful' to look at and release similar hormones to mums caring for newborn babies
An aspiring mum who owns 15 Reborn dolls to "practise" parenting, fears that the recent scandal involving Kira Cousins and her fake baby reinforces the stereotype that doll owners are "mad".
Jess Ellis, 29, began creating and collecting these incredibly lifelike dolls after PCOS diagnosis left her struggling to conceive.
The content creator finds them "beautiful" to look at, and believes they trigger similar hormones to those experienced by mums caring for newborn babies.
However, Reborn dolls have been thrust into the spotlight this week following revelations that Kira Cousins, 22, allegedly faked giving birth using one of these dolls.
She reportedly received hundreds of pounds worth of gifts before her family discovered her newborn daughter was actually a doll.
Cousins wore a prosthetic baby bump, sharing photos of baby scans, hosting a gender reveal party and even posting a video of the 'baby' kicking.
Jess, an HR business partner from Newham, London, said: "I absolutely cannot condone what she's done." The aspiring mum started her collection in May 2020, when she felt "lonely" during the pandemic.
Her first doll, Rebecca, set her back £250 - and she swiftly expanded her collection with newborn-like dolls Zain, Sam, Annalese and Aria.
In total, Jess has splashed out more than £6,000 on baby accessories alone to date.
The soothing effects of the dolls come from their "weighted" feel and the distraction of dressing them up.
Jess also believes they trigger similar maternal hormones as a real baby - providing comfort for women struggling to conceive or couples who have suffered a miscarriage.
However, she fears that Cousins' alleged actions may now give people the wrong impression about Reborn dolls.
She stated: "Most of the time people get a Reborn because they like the dolls, but they are also used for some kind of grief and they can be very beneficial.
"I worry that when stories like this come out that it's reinforcing that people who have Reborn dolls are crazy and that we think they are real and that we're trying to trick our family and friends and that's not the case at all.
"I've seen people who have used them for grief but not pass them off as real, I've never seen that before."
Jess, who shares videos about the dolls on her TikTok and YouTube accounts, says she hasn't received any negative feedback yet.
She added: "I haven't had any backlash so far - I made a video about this story, so we'll see what kind of comments I get."