AceShowbiz - Hilaria Baldwin has taken a defiant stand against critics who have questioned the authenticity of her Spanish roots. The 41-year-old yoga instructor, known for mixing Spanish and English in her speech, has been at the center of a heated controversy since 2020.

In the premiere of her new TLC reality show, "The Baldwins" that features her actor husband Alec Baldwin, Hilaria addressed the criticisms head-on and doubled down on her bilingual identity.

"I love English, I also love Spanish, and when I mix the two it doesn't make me inauthentic, and when I mix the two, that makes me normal," she insisted. "I'd be lying if I said [the controversy] didn't make me sad and it didn't hurt and it didn't put me in dark places."

The controversy surrounding Hilaria Baldwin gained momentum in December 2020. Social media users accused her of fabricating her Spanish heritage, alleging that she was actually born in Boston, Massachusetts, and not in Spain.

Hilaria clarified that while she was born in Boston under the name Hillary Haward-Thomas, she spent much of her childhood in Spain, a place where her family now resides. She continued to emphasize her deep connection to both American and Spanish cultures.

"I've seen chatter online questioning my identity and culture. This is something I take very seriously," she explained. "I was born in Boston and grew up spending time with my family between Massachusetts and Spain. My parents and sibling live in Spain and I chose to live here, in the U.S.A."

Despite the backlash, Hilaria remained unapologetic about her bilingualism. Highlighting the importance of speaking multiple languages, she said, "I'm raising my kids to be bilingual, I was raised bilingual."

"My family - all my nuclear family - now lives over in Spain. I want to teach my kids pride in speaking more than one language. I think just growing up and speaking two languages is extremely special."

"It was my family, my friends, my community who speak multiple languages, who have belonged in multiple places and realize that we are a mix of all these different things and that's going to have an impact on how we sound and an impact on how we articulate things and the words that we choose and our mannerisms," she explained. "That's called being human."

As she continues to face scrutiny, she hopes her family can serve as an example of the richness that comes from embracing multiple cultures. "The Baldwins" promises to address this ongoing dialogue, offering more insights into Hilaria's take on her unique blend of heritages.