‘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

Shelley Horton has shared her controversial views on parenthood and the choice to have pets instead of children.

The Talking Married presenter, 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,” claiming that pet owners’ love for their animals is “equal” to a parent’s love for a child.

While Shelly emphasized that she is not’Comparing the complexities of human life to that of our pets,” she believes the “emotional investment” she puts into her dogs is akin to parenting.

“For some, pets provide a presence that soothes anxiety and loneliness, brings joy and, yes, takes a lot of responsibility – qualities not unlike those needed when 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 much harder than having a pet.

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

Shelly said Hannah’s statements “felt like a blow” and “lacked empathy.”

The Talking Married presenter has 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 child’ feels not only dismissive, but judgmentally simplistic,” Shelly wrote.

“While our fur babies may not need school uniforms or college 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 raise a family with two dogs instead.

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

In January 2024, Shelly admitted she was devastated when her doctor told her she had a hysterectomy.

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

“I’m shocked at how overwhelmed and tearful 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 had to have a hysterectomy.

Shelly said that although she never wanted children, she still feels “sadness” over the loss of the reproductive organ.

“I’m proud to be childfree, so I’m furious that this organ I never needed is causing me so much misery,” she wrote.

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