Below Deck: Dani Soares Says Jean-Luc Isn’t Stepping Up As Father
Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 2 star Dani Soares recently hinted that fellow castmate Jean-Luc Cerza Lanaux is still not providing support for their daughter Lilly Rose. Dani and Jean-Luc met while working on Parsifal III, with Captain Glenn Shephard at the helm. The deckhand and second stew became close and had a "boat-mance" that ended when the charter was over. Dani later found out she was pregnant with Jean-Luc’s baby and she shared during the Below Deck Sailing Yacht reunion that he denied being the father.
After Lilly Rose was born, a paternity test confirmed Jean-Luc was the father. Jean-Luc addressed his role as the father in a lengthy Instagram post and told Below Deck fans that he and Dani are working together to co-parent Lilly Rose. He shared that he is gone for extended periods of time working on boats and doesn’t know when he will be back on land. Below Deck fans dragged Jean-Luc for taking so long to admit he was the father and leaving Dani to fend for herself throughout her pregnancy and birth of Lilly Rose.
Back in February, Dani shared how being a single mother wasn’t easy. She reached out to fans asking for help getting her mother to visit her. Dani admitted that she didn’t have much time to herself and urged single mothers to have a strong support system. It appears as if Jean-Luc is still leaving Dani hanging. Below Deck fan and Reddit user Aleishia6 recently posted a screenshot of Dani’s Instagram story. A fan asked her, “Are you happy living in Australia?” Dani replied, “Yes, this is the best place for us. I’m working really hard as the only responsible for Lilly (financially and otherwise) and truly believe there’s no best countey [sic] for us to be.”
Reddit users slammed Jean-Luc for still not stepping up after he publicly promised to be a father to Lilly Rose. One user wrote, “Not shocked but still so so sad.” Another simply replied, “He’s a twat.” Some fans speculated if Dani could file for child support in Australia, but it may be difficult as she isn’t an Australian citizen and Jean-Luc lives in the U.S. Dani’s Below Deck Sailing Yacht crewmates have all rallied around her, providing support however they can. Chief Engineer Colin Macrae called Jean-Luc out for dragging his feet about taking the paternity test. First mate Gary King shared that he thought Jean-Luc’s actions are unforgivable.
Dani is working hard to provide for Lilly Rose. She earns a living as a beauty therapist and is studying to be a nurse. Dani also is part of the podcast Pita Party with her Below Deck Sailing Yacht crew Daisy Kelliher and Alli Dore. Fans applaud Dani for embracing motherhood alone, despite all its challenges and many leave encouraging words on her social media. Dani expressed that although being a mother is a lot harder than she expected, she wouldn’t change it for the world.
Source: Aleishia6/Reddit