‘Proudly childfree by choice’ TV star says ‘fur kids’ are better than ‘skin kids’ and claims her love for her pets is ‘equal’ to a parent’s love for a child

Shelly Horton has shared her controversial views about parenthood and the choice to have pets instead of kids. 

The Talking Married host, 50, owns two dogs with her husband Darren Robinson and describes herself as ‘proudly childfree by choice’. 

In an article published in 9Honey on Saturday, Shelly said she believes’ fur kids’ are better than ‘skin kids’, while claiming pet owners’ love for their animals is ‘equal’ to a parent’s love for a child.

While Shelly emphasised that she isn’t ‘comparing the complexities of human life with that of our pets’, she believes the ’emotional investment’ she puts into her dogs is on par with parenthood. 

‘For some, pets provide a presence that soothes anxiety and loneliness, offers joy, and yes, demands a lot of responsibility – qualities not unlike those required in raising children,’ she argued. 

Shelly also hit back at Sydney Morning Herald journalist Hannah Vanderheide, who recently published an opinion piece about how raising a child is vastly more difficult than having a pet. 

In it, she argued that pet owners shouldn’t think of themselves as mothers or fathers, especially given that a dog’s lifespan is significantly shorter than that of a human. 

Shelly said Hannah’s statements ‘felt like a slap’ and ‘lacked empathy’. 

The Talking Married host owns two dogs with her husband Darren Robinson (left) and describes herself as ‘proudly childfree by choice’

‘To dismiss their choice of emotional investment by saying “it’s just a dog” or “it’s not the same as having a kid” feels not only dismissive but also judgmentally oversimplified,’ Shelly wrote.

‘While our fur babies might not require school uniforms or uni funds, they demand something just as valuable: a piece of our hearts,’ she later added. 

Shelly has been open in the past about why she doesn’t want to have children with her husband, and they are perfectly content to be raising a family that includes two dogs instead.

In an article published in 9Honey on Saturday, Shelly said she believes’ fur kids’ are better than ‘skin kids’, while claiming pet owners’ love for their animals is ‘equal’ to a parent’s love for a child

In January 2024, Shelly admitted she was devastated when her doctor told her she will need to have a hysterectomy. 

Shelly had required the surgical procedure, which removes a woman’s uterus, due to severe perimenopausal symptoms and heavy bleeding.

‘I’m shocked at how overwhelmed and teary I feel about it’ she wrote in an article for 9Honey at the time.

In January 2024, Shelly admitted she was devastated when her doctor told her she will need to have a hysterectomy 

Shelly said that while she has never wanted children, she’s still felt some ‘grief’ over losing the reproductive organ. 

‘I’m proudly childfree by choice, so I am furious this organ that I haven’t ever needed gives me so much misery’ she wrote. 

‘I’ve joked to friends I want to sell my uterus on eBay – “One uterus. Never used. Still in box!” Yet, just as I laugh, I also feel a mix of anger, sadness and a sense of betrayal by my own body’ she wrote.