Escaping “The Silence” on Game of Thrones and being a devoted mother? Gemma Whelan, 38, can do both. Dressed in historic garb with fake dirt smeared across her face, the actress for Yara Greyjoy breastfed her one-year-old daughter at the GOT set, as seen in an Instagram photo shared ahead of “The Long Night” episode on April 28. “Enjoy tonight’s episode guys…! Yara’s got some big news…🤱🦑 👊🏼 #got #hbo #plottwistahoy 😉,” Gemma captioned the breastfeeding picture.
Despite the promise of “big news,” Yara did not fight in the Battle of Winterfell on Sunday’s night episode (but her brother, Theon Greyjoy, had plenty of screen time). Gemma revealed that the breastfeeding photo was actually snapped after filming her scene in Season 8’s premiere episode, in response to a curious fan. She assured another worried fan that the post was “absolutely not” a spoiler for HBO viewers. “Just a tease and my actual life on set between whatever we actually were filming ;),” the British actress explained in her comments section.
HBO also chimed in with a comment we can all agree on: “aggressive fighter, loving mother.” Gemma became a mother after welcoming her daughter in the fall of 2017 with partner Gerry Howell. Since then, Gemma has regularly updated her Instagram feed with adorable family photos, which included another public breastfeeding photo on March 24!
Gemma has never been shamed from breastfeeding her daughter in a public setting — in fact, she was once encouraged to do so! “She BiiiiiiiG but she still loving the boob…! Out and proud suckling away…! During our boob sesh, a lady popped this card on our table. Thankfully I’ve never had any feeling that’s it’s not normal but I suppose she’s very big now and it could look a bit strange to some people…this little card made me feel very cool 😎 🤱✌🏼,” Gemma wrote underneath the other breastfeeding photo on March 24, which was followed by a note that read, “thank you for breastfeeding in public.”
Gemma’s confidence as a new mother is an inspiration to many! “Proud of you, mama. Nothing like nursing sessions between battle scenes, I’m sure,” one fan commented under the post above, while another GOT viewer wrote, “Yara. The ultimate feminist that women need. Woop woop.”