Line of Duty star Martin Compston hits back at false claims about wife's fertility

Line of Duty star Martin Compston has hit back at the false claims made about his wife, Tianna Flynn's fertility.

Martin Compston who plays DS Steve Arnott in the hit police drama Line of Duty, has hit back at the false reports concerning his wife's fertility. He issued a statement via Twitter with the caption, “I get that things are heightened with Line of Duty on but this type of journalism has to be called out, I will continue do so when it effects those around me.”

The statement from the star explained the incident fully. “A wholly untrue, inaccurate and hurtful article about me and my wife [Tianna Flynn] appeared in the press today written by a freelance journalist with the headline, 'Compston reveals he and his wife had fertility struggle'. This false information was wrongly assumed from a Radio 2 interview I did yesterday in which no such issues were mentioned. No attempt was made to verify it pre-publication,” said Martin.

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In the statement, Martin went on to say that although the original digital copy has been deleted, the print copy of this article still exists and is still frustrating for his family. He went on to say that this type of inaccurate journalism is extremely reckless and can be seriously harmful for those involved.

Martin said, "This type of reckless, lazy and untruthful journalism has caused needless distress in what is already a challenging period. Fortunately my wife and I never had to go through the pain of fertility problems but we have friends that have and it’s heartbreaking. It's not something that should be used to generate inaccurate clickbait headlines.”

Later, Martin released a second statement that concluded his thoughts about this incident. He reiterated that if a similar incident takes place again, he will not hesitate to speak up. “I appreciate that the press have a job to do, the media by and large have always been fair with me. I like to reiterate however any sensationalist/inaccurate stories regarding our private life that causes distress to my family I won’t hesitate to call it out or take any further necessary action. Thanks,” he said. 

Fans took to his Twitter to support the Line of Duty star for standing up for himself. One fan said, “Good for you, you’ve handled this impeccably, and as someone who has fertility issues, I really, really appreciate your stance on this.” 

Another said, “Well said Martin, done with a huge amount of dignity and grace. The nature of your job doesn’t mean the media have fair dibs on your life. Huge amounts of respect for your handling of it. Best wishes to you and your family.”