Kirstie Allsopp was criticised last night after taking her 15-year-old son interrailing across Europe.
The TV presenter announced on social media that her youngest son Oscar Hercules returned home after a three-week trip across the continent with a 16-year-old friend.
However, some users claimed that the 52-year-old’s child was too young to travel across the continent without adult supervision.
Someone told the mother of two on X, formerly Twitter, that “if anything had gone wrong, you would have taken responsibility and never forgiven yourself.”
Another added: ‘You can’t wrap them in cotton wool, but it can be a dangerous world and 15 is not mature enough for all encounters.’
TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp defended her 15-year-old son’s unaccompanied Interrail trip through Europe, saying he planned the route himself
Mrs Allsopp defended Oscar Hercules, who turned 16 today, saying he and his friend had independently organised the nine-stop trip across Europe.
She wrote: ‘For obvious budgetary reasons, interrailing is not for everyone, but in this increasingly risk-averse world it is vital that we find ways to give our children the confidence that only comes when we trust them.’
The Location, Location, Location host added: ‘If we are afraid, our children will be afraid. If we let them go, they will fly.’
Mrs Allsopp, who also has 18-year-old Bay Atlas with Ben Anderson, also faced criticism from people who claimed she did not want her 15-year-old daughter to go on the same trip.
However, Ms Allsopp said she had travelled at the same age and added that ‘sexual abuse is much more likely to be caused by someone you know than a stranger, and boys are more likely to have a violent interaction with a stranger than girls’.
There is no minimum age for teenagers to go Interrailing, although the European network states that written permission is required for minors to travel without their parents.
The Mail has reached out to Ms Allsopp’s representatives for comment.