Tina O'Brien has criticised Daily Mail journalist Katie Hind for failing to mention her father's recent death when reporting on her appearance in public photographs.
The 42-year-old Coronation Street actress posted on Instagram this evening, revealing her father had passed away a fortnight ago and thanking supporters for their kindness during what she described as “the hardest weeks of my life”.
Mr O'Brien directly addressed the journalist's reporting, writing: “Shoutout to Katie Hind for bravely reporting the news while leaving out the entire reason I looked ‘downcast’.”
Her comments followed a Daily Mail article on Thursday that featured photographs of Ms O'Brien walking her dog in Alderley Edge, Cheshire.
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Tina O’Brien revealed that her father passed away two weeks ago
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The piece described her as looking “downcast”, “sombre” and “make-up free” as she “braved the cold British weather”, linking her appearance to her recent relationship breakdown.
In her Instagram post, Ms O'Brien added: “Life has a funny way of showing you who has a heart. Some things reveal more about the writer than the subject.”
The actress’s statement suggested Ms Hind had been aware of her bereavement but chose not to include it when explaining her demeanour in the published photographs.
Her father had died just two weeks before the images were taken.
Ms Hind’s article also focused heavily on Ms O'Brien’s split from millionaire interior designer Adam Fadle, whom she dated for around four months after meeting through mutual friends in Cheshire.
Tina O’Brien
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It reported that Ms O'Brien had removed photographs of the couple from her Instagram account and quoted friends who said she felt the relationship “wasn’t going anywhere”.
The pair had holidayed in Greece in September, and Fadle, who has designed homes for high-profile clients including Cristiano Ronaldo, was reportedly “stunned” by the split.
The romance began months after Ms O'Brien’s seven-year marriage to personal trainer Adam Crofts ended last Christmas.
The Coronation Street star previously shared news of her father’s passing on social media, telling followers: “I’ve been a little quiet on here. My dad died recently. I haven’t quite known how to put it into words.”
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Tina O’Brien called out the Daily Mail journalist in her Instagram story tonight
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She described her grief as “very heavy” but said she was grateful he was “no longer suffering”.
She also thanked supporters who had helped her through the bereavement, adding: “Thank you to everyone who’s held me steady through this difficult time. I love you. You mean the world to me.”
Ms O'Brien's father's death had not been widely reported until the actress chose to disclose it publicly, making the timing of the “downcast” photographs particularly significant.
Upon viewing the actress’s Instagram post, fans of the star took to the comments section of the Daily Mail article to express their disillusionment with the journalist’s coverage.
“She has just lost her dad!! Leave her alone!” one fan wrote, while another questioned: “Why does Katie Hind seem to hate all women at the moment?”
“Why is this news?” one reader asked.
Another criticised the reporter directly: “Why does anyone talk to Katie Hind… actually, I think she invents most of what she says. It’s incomprehensible that she has access to everyone she claims to know… a lot of rubbish!!!”
A further comment read: “Her dad literally passed away 2 weeks ago — leave the poor girl alone!!”
Tina O’Brien on set of Coronation Street
|Tina O'Brein
However, some readers jumped in to defended Ms Hind.
“Daughter sounds spoilt,” one wrote, while another said: “I like Tina but I’d advise her to pull her daughter out of acting. She can’t act, was embarrassing in Waterloo Road.”
This isn’t the first time Ms Hind has come under fire online for her coverage of female celebrities.
The Daily Mail journalist has written several highly critical articles about Rebekah Vardy, particularly during and after the “Wagatha Christie” trial.
These pieces generated significant hostility from Ms Vardy and her supporters.
She also publicly criticised presenter Laura Whitmore in a 2021 article titled “How Laura Whitmore has badly let herself down.”
The controversy centred on Ms Hind’s claim that Ms Whitmore used her friendship with the late Caroline Flack, and the “be kind” message associated with her death, for personal gain, despite knowing Ms Flack was devastated about Ms Whitmore taking over her Love Island role.
The piece triggered what Ms Hind later described as a “barrage of online hate and abuse,” prompting her to adjust her social media settings to filter incoming messages.
Ms Hind has been contacted for comment.