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Alec Baldwin's wife Hilaria Baldwin is speaking out about her Spanish accent years after her heritage scandal.
In 2020, the 41-year-old yoga instructor faced backlash when it was revealed she was not actually born in Spain as she had previously implied, and instead, was born and raised in the United States.
Hilaria was also criticized for allegedly faking her Spanish accent, as critics pointed out that it noticeably fluctuated over the years when she made appearances on TV.
During the upcoming premiere episode of her family's new TLC reality show "The Baldwins," Hilaria admitted that the past controversy was hurtful and defended her Spanish accent.
"I love English, I also love Spanish, and when I mix the two it doesn't make me inauthentic, and when I mix the two, that makes me normal," she said in a confessional, as quoted by People magazine.
Alec Baldwin's wife Hilaria is defending her Spanish accent years after her heritage controversy. (TheStewartofNY/WireImage)
"I'd be lying if I said [the controversy] didn't make me sad, and it didn't hurt, and it didn't put me in dark places," Hilaria admitted.
"But it was my family, my friends, my community who speak multiple languages, who have belonged in multiple places and realize that we are a mix of all these different things and that’s going to have an impact on how we sound and an impact on how we articulate things and the words that we choose and our mannerisms."
"That's normal," the mother of seven added. "That’s called being human."
Hilaria and Alec share three daughters: Carmen Gabriela, 11, MarÃa LucÃa Victoria, 3, and Ilaria Catalina Irena, 2. They also share four sons: Rafael Thomas, 9, Leonardo ?ngel Charles, 8, Romeo Alejandro David, 6, and Eduardo "Edu" Pao Lucas, 4.
Alec is the father to daughter Ireland Baldwin, 29, whom he shares with Kim Basinger.
Alec and Hilaria Baldwin share seven children. (Jason Mendez/WireImage)
During her confessional, Hilaria was adamant that her children would grow up learning to speak both English and Spanish as she had during her childhood.
"I love English, I also love Spanish, and when I mix the two it doesn't make me inauthentic."
"I'm raising my kids to be bilingual. I was raised bilingual," she said. "My family — all my nuclear family — now lives over in Spain. I want to teach my kids pride in speaking more than one language. I think just growing up and speaking two languages is extremely special."
In December 2020, social media users delved into Hilaria's background and revealed that she had been born Hillary Lynn Hayward-Thomas in Boston.
The discovery sparked accusations that Hilaria had been deceptive regarding her origins and had exaggerated her Spanish heritage.
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At the time, Hilaria addressed the criticism in a since-deleted video that she shared on Instagram.
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"There have been some questions about where I’m born. I’m born in Boston … I spent some of my childhood in Boston, some of my childhood in Spain. My family, my brother, my parents, my nephew, everybody is over there in Spain now. I’m here," she explained.
Hilaria's parents left the United States in 2011 and currently live in Mallorca.
The couple and their children will star in the new reality series "The Baldwins." (Getty Images)
As for her accent, she said, "I am that person, if I’ve been speaking a lot of Spanish, I tend to mix them or if I’m speaking a lot of English I mix that. It’s one of those things I’ve always been a bit insecure about."
However, Hilaria clarified that her accent is "not something I’m playing at… I want that to be very, very clear."
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"Yes, I am a White girl, my family is White," she said. "Europe has a lot of White people in them. Ethnically, I am a mix of many, many things."
"I’m getting attacked for being who I am…people wanting to label me Spanish or American. Can’t it be both? It’s frustrating that is my story," Hilaria concluded.
Hilaria Baldwin has previously apologized for not being more clear about her heritage. (The Hapa Blonde/GC Images)
In February 2021, Hilaria issued an apology on Instagram, writing, "I’ve spent the last month listening, reflecting, and asking myself how I can learn and grow. My parents raised my brother and me with two cultures, American and Spanish, and I feel a true sense of belonging to both."
"The way I’ve spoken about myself and my deep connection to two cultures could have been better explained - I should have been more clear and I'm sorry," she continued. "I'm proud of the way I was raised, and we’re raising our children to share the same love and respect for both."
"Being vulnerable and pushing ourselves to learn and grow is what we've built our community on, and I hope to get back to the supportive and kind environment we’ve built together."
"The Baldwins," which follows the lives of Hilaria, Alec and their brood, will premiere Feb. 23 on TLC.
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