Arthur Gourounlian thanks viewers for kind messages after surrogacy documentary airs

'All three of us were so nervous but it went nice and smooth'

Tue, 14 Mar, 2023 - 11:26

Maeve Lee

Arthur Gourounlian has thanked viewers for their words of kindness following the release of a documentary tracking his road to parenthood with his husband, Brian Dowling.

The much-anticipated documentary, Brian and Arthur: A Very Modern Family followed the pair as they began their journey to surrogacy, including the birth of their daughter Blake.

In a video posted to Instagram, Gourounlian and baby Blake said a sweet thank you to everyone who had shown their support. He shared that they had been feeling "quite nervous" ahead of the debut on RTÉ.

“Blake and I we just want to say thank you so much,” the Dancing with the Stars judge said, holding a smiling Blake.

“Thank you so, so much for your beautiful, amazing, incredible messages [during] the show last night. All three of us were so nervous but it went nice and smooth. So thank you, thank you, thank you.”

The Kildare-based couple welcomed baby Blake in September with Brian’s sister Aoife acting as their surrogate. They began filming the documentary in June of last year, charting the highs and lows of their surrogacy journey from the very start.

Brian and Arthur's Very Modern Family aired on RTÉ One.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner about the day Blake was born, Dowling said: “I just remember being quite nervous. I asked one of the nurses if it was okay to hold her. I kept thinking someone was going to try and take her. It wasn’t till we got home on September 2 that I was properly able to relax.”

The touching one-off documentary has been praised online with many viewers noting how emotional the pair’s long road to parenthood has been.

Watching #verymodernfamily on @RTEOne now. Just beautiful. It also is a reminder that the triumph of Love is at the heart of so many #LGBT Irish stories. Things have gotten very "shouty" in recent times and we need to remember the message of #Love ultimately does conquer all.
— John Eardly (@JohnJEardly) March 13, 2023

The couple has often spoken about the hate they have received online since sharing their story. In January of this year, Dowling said the abuse he has received since becoming a parent had gone "too far", revealing he has been called a "child trafficker," "a perverted creep" and even been accused of incest.

Discussing the abuse ahead of the release of the documentary, Gourounlian said it did get to him. “It did get to me a bit. When people say ‘he’s disgusting, he shouldn’t be allowed to be a parent’. I know plenty of people with a mother and a father and that is not why they are loved."