The Real Story Behind the Fake Pregnancy

By Colette Cairney 

A young Airdrie woman, Kira Cousins, has sparked the interest of the media after faking her own pregnancy for nine months. From the fake bump to her gender reveal, to being gifted thousands of pounds for baby items, she has truly created the scandal of the year.  

There have been a variety of different opinions on this story and theories about whether she should be prosecuted for her actions or given the help that she clearly needs.  

This is not the first time Cousins has faced controversy and backlash for her actions; however, the previous times did not engender the same volume of publicity this story has.  

There has been speculation about Cousins’ mental health and whether she needs jail time for her actions.  

If Cousins’ actions were intentional and fraudulent, there is no doubt that there should be consequences.  

As well as the emotional turmoil she put her family and Jamie Gardiner's (Cousins’ partner) family through, this should also be included in a potential prosecution.  

Cousins had bought a prosthetic bump, faked scan pictures, threw a fake baby shower and intentionally made the gender of the ‘baby’ a girl due to both grandparents from the two families only having boys.  

Cousins even told loved ones that her unborn baby was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition. She claimed the baby had a hole in her heart and later claimed her baby had died. 

During Cousins’ so-called ‘birth’, she waited outside the hospital for eight hours to create the illusion she was delivering a baby.  

She didn’t allow anyone in with her when she claimed she was giving birth and did not allow others to come with her to prenatal appointments for the baby.  

When the parental grandmother met the ‘baby,’ she was shocked to find out the baby was cold. Telling Cousins this information, she ‘rushed’ the baby to the hospital and discovered the baby had mucus.Cousins also refused Jamie’s request for a DNA test.  

In recent years, Cousins has been exposed by friends and family for lying about different health issues, such as cancer and even faking another pregnancy before this.  

Cousins was described as a ‘Serial liar’ by an old friend who said: “She has lied about all sorts.”  

Neave McRoberts, a former friend of Cousins, posted a video on TikTok telling the story of how she discovered the fake pregnancy.  

In Neave’s discovery, she had messaged the father of the ‘baby’, and he confirmed it was a doll all along.  

Most people now view Cousins as mentally unwell and think she needs professional help.  

Other people feel that what she has done makes a mockery of women who have gone through miscarriages or cannot conceive. A growing body of opinion feels Cousins should be prosecuted for fraud.  

This is not the first time Cousins has done something so despicable. There is speculation that she shouldn’t be allowed to get away lightly with what she has done and that she needs some form of consequence to properly learn from her action. 

Through Cousins’ social media pages, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, she has released a statement to explain her actions.  

Cousins said: “I don’t have a proper excuse. I wasn’t in a good headspace.  

“That doesn’t make what I did okay. I know this is going to stick with me for a long time and that I’ve probably lost friends I’ll never get back.  

“I’m trying to figure myself out and get help. This version of me isn’t someone I want to be. I know I’ve ruined a lot of trust and that ‘sorry’ won’t fix everything, but it’s all I can say right now.”