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Danielle Brooks Is a Doting Mother Daughter Freeya — She Feels Guilty for Not Being with Her Because of Her Job

Laura Beatham
By Laura Beatham
Jan 12, 2022
10:20 A.M.

"Orange Is The New Black" star Danielle Brooks is a doting mother to her adorable daughter and is engaged to Dennis Gelin, who fathered her child. However, she once revealed she felt guilty for not being with her.

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Many fans might recognize Danielle Brooks as Taystee on the "Orange Is The New Black." However, another important role in her life is being a mother to her daughter, Freeya.

Brooks shares her only child with her fiancé, Dennis Gelin. Brooks kept their relationship private during their relationship; however, now engaged, the pair have shared glimpses into their relationship with the public.

Danielle Brooks attends USTA 19th Annual Opening Night Gala Blue Carpet, 2019, New York City [Left]. Freeya pictured in an Instagram photo, 2021 [Right] | Photo: Getty Images & Instagram/freeyacarel

Danielle Brooks attends USTA 19th Annual Opening Night Gala Blue Carpet, 2019, New York City [Left]. Freeya pictured in an Instagram photo, 2021 [Right] | Photo: Getty Images & Instagram/freeyacarel

For example, Gelin appeared in Brooks's Netflix series "A Little Bit Pregnant." In the show, Brooks hooked her man to a labor simulator machine to feel what it is like to give birth.

Brooks also shared beautiful photos of the couple from their engagement photoshoot on Instagram. In the caption, the actress gave fans a look at the kind of love the two share as she wrote:

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"Richer than Godiva, sweeter than the sugar cane of Haiti, hotter than the Carolina sun. Our love is pure and honest. Withstanding and strong."

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Brooks shared a glimpse of their engagement shoot almost ten months after announcing their engagement in January 2020. Gelin proposed a couple of months after Brooks gave birth to their first child together.

Brooks, who portrays Leota Adebayo in "Peacemaker," shared an adorable photo of Freeya laying on her to announce the birth, which happened on November 16, 2019.

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Before her birth, Brooks spoke to People magazine and explained she was excited to raise her daughter and "teach her to be a woman in this world without worrying about judgment" and to give her the freedom to be herself.

Later, the actress explained that becoming a mother made her feel like she knew herself much more profoundly than before because she was now sharing her knowledge and who she is with another human.

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Although Brooks has spoken about the positive emotions she experienced becoming a mother, it has not always been easy for her. She opened about the difficult times in motherhood during an April 2021 interview with People.

The loving mother explained that there are times where she feels guilty for not being with Freeya when she is working. Brooks had to adjust to not being with her all the time and learn to trust others to care for Freeya in her absence.

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