Ad actress faces backlash after calling Welsh speakers ‘inbred’

Emily Price

An advertising actress and model has faced a backlash online after branding Welsh speakers “inbred”.

Janice Bryant is a Cambridge-based professional commercial model, actress, and presenter with 16 years experience.

She has appeared in numerous ad campaigns for major brands including L’Oreal, Clarins and Etsy.

Her website states she is represented by several agencies including Roc Talent, PK Models, Source Models, Style Academy Agency, Reality Check Management, Broadcasting Agency Ltd and  Eden Model Management.

Following a work trip to north Wales last week, she posted a video to Facebook on Tuesday (June 2) showing Llandudno’s picturesque seafront.

Captioning the video, Ms Bryant said: “Call me crassly ignorant if you wish, but I never realised they spoke Welsh in Wales.

“I thought it was the preserve of a few inbreds in the north.

“It first dawned on me that I was labouring under a misconception when I noticed the station signs were written in both Welsh and English.

“After a 7-hour journey I was too knackered to go hunting around for an evening meal, so I opted for the restaurant at the St. George, where I was staying.

“The Welsh lamb dinner was superb, but there wasn’t much lamb for a near £40s meal.

“Forth right as ever, when the waitress came round asking is everything was OK, I mentioned this fact.

“She looked a bit taken back so I told her, ‘You did ask!’ However, the Sticky Toffee pudding was to die for, and there was plenty of it.

“After dinner I took a wander along the sea front to blow the cobwebs away after such a long journey.

“I was delighted to find the pier was a relic of the Victorian era. Admittedly tacky with its amusement arcades, but undoubtedly splendid all the same.”

‘Rage baiting’

Ms Bryant’s post drew criticism from social media users, who described her comments as offensive and accused her of engaging in “rage baiting”.

Darren Owen commented: “I’ve asked her modelling agencies if they’re aware of her racist comments. I’ve also passed it onto NWP as a hate crime.”

Another commentator, Christian Roberts, said: “You put it very well yourself. You are ‘crassly ignorant’ and you are very rude towards our nation. Not funny in the slightest.”

Tracy Mulholland wrote: “Very rude comments about the people who undoubtedly gave you a very warm welcome.

“We are very proud of our heritage in Wales and are neither inbred nor do we take kindly to such unpleasant insults.

“I think you are crass, ignorant and exceptionally arrogant. Please do not return to Wales, you are PERSONA NON GRATA! Or as we say in Wales ANGRROESO!!
Cymru am byth.”

‘Inbred’

Ms Bryant then limited who could reply to the video and doubled down on her comments.

She wrote: “Thank you for all your kind comments. I hadn’t realised the Welsh were so lacking in humour, anyone would think I’d pissed on one of your Welsh hero’s graves!”

She added: “Good job I was out of the country by Friday as I would never of escaped.”

Replying to a commenter who wrote, “Diolch. That’s ‘thank you’ in Welsh, Jan,” Ms Bryant responded: “Ah, I didn’t know that. Tongue in cheek, Wendy — are you inbred?”

Replying to another user who asked if the actress was in Llanduno, Ms Bryant responded: “Indeed it was Stephanie! Having partially immerged, though not according to some people, from my highly ignorant state I find its pronounced Clandidno.”

In another post published to Facebook on Wednesday (June 3) documenting her north Wales trip, she wrote: “If your politically correct sensibilities can’t cope with my piss taking, tongue in cheek diary scroll past.

“I’m going to gloss over the shoot here until I have the official pictures, suffice to say it was a memorable half day.

“The day after, I went to Conwy castle and was transported back to the childhood of my dreams where the weather was always sunny, the beaches went on forever, and me and my brother ran up the castle towers and scaled the turrets.

“Sixty years later I heaved myself up the stairs using the giant ropes and went nowhere near the edges of the turrets.

“Coming down I had no hesitation in playing in the age card; I wasn’t going to rush down those precarious stairs for anyone.

“The town was pretty but was full of shops selling the usual tourist tat. It was rather warm, but unfortunately the only places to sit out were a few rowdy pubs frequented with northerners, so I collapsed into a rather soulless cafe and revived myself over a pot of tea.

“I returned as I’d arrived on the park and ride, which is a wonderful concept.”

Mr Bryant limited who could comment on the post.