“Below Deck Sailing Yacht” stars Gary King and Daisy Kelliher called their former co-star Jean-Luc Cerza-Lanaux’s paternity saga “heart-wrenching” in an exclusive interview with Page Six.
“I mean, it was very bizarre. I think everyone can agree it was pretty inappropriate for social media,” Kelliher tells Page Six of Cerza-Lanaux’s decision to announce he was the father of Danie Soares’ child on social media — after previously being apprehensive about his potential fatherhood.
“I don’t think that was something that should have been so publicly displayed,” Kelliher, 34, continues. “It’s their business, and I’m there to help either of them if they need us.”
The chief stew, who returned for Season 3 of the Bravo show, added that she can see Cerza-Lanaux having some regrets about the way he handled things.
“I think he’s just a bit young, and unfortunately, it’s going to be one of these things he’s going to look back on and possibly have some regrets about,” she says.
“I think primarily it was the way it was handled. So that was most heart-wrenching. It wasn’t so much the circumstance, it was the implications of how it was handled. So that was quite frustrating.”
King, who also tagged along for another season, agrees with Kelliher that Cerza-Lanaux’s actions should’ve spoken louder than his Instagram.
“My complaint is that that I believe that actions should speak more than words and all good on him for coming out and acknowledging that he’s a father. I mean, it’s a no-brainer that he was the father,” King, 33, tells us, referring to Soares’ strong hints that Jean-Luc was her baby’s dad prior to giving birth in May 2021.
The first mate adds, “So the fact that it took this long? I mean, it’s quite sad, but you know, let your actions be mightier than your words. There’s a single parent in Australia by herself — she doesn’t need you to come and tell social media, she needs support.”
However, King shares that regardless of how it was handled, he hopes that Cerza-Lanaux can make up for lost time.
“I just hope JL can see it in himself to be there for her,” he says. “The fact that it’s taken him almost a year to come out and admit that he’s a father, it’s kind of just shows that in his age or his immaturity, and I just hope that he can learn from this and he can see his mistakes.
“Everyone makes mistakes, and I believe everyone deserves second chances. So it’s not about what he says now. It’s about what he does that will define the person who he is.”
Season 3 of “Below Deck Sailing Yacht” premieres Monday at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
