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Ireland Baldwin<\/strong> shared a rare Instagram post in which she opened up about her relationship with her stepmother, newly-announced\u00a0Dancing With the Stars<\/em> contestant Hilaria Baldwin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n And while Hilaria often faces controversy<\/a> over everything from her questionable accent to interactions with husband Alec Baldwin<\/strong> on the couple\u2019s TLC reality series<\/a> The Baldwins<\/em>, the 29-year-old actress and model had nothing but effusive praise for her stepmother.<\/p>\n In the post, Ireland shared a photo of herself with a dachshund, posing alongside her stepmom who was holding one of the couple\u2019s seven children<\/a>\u00a0together.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to take a second to talk about my stepmom Hilaria Baldwin,\u201d the Grudge Match<\/em> star wrote. \u201cI think if people actually knew her the way I do, they would be quite surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n Ireland admitted that her post comes out of \u201cleft field\u201d since she\u2019s normally private when it comes to her family. However, she wanted to make one thing clear. \u201cI expect misinformed comments and plenty of comments about me only playing nice so I can secure my inheritance,\u201d she explained, quipping, \u201cC\u2019mon, people. I see the comments. I\u2019m not getting an inheritance. I have seven siblings.\u201d<\/p>\n She noted that she had been having these thoughts about her stepmother since she last visited her on the east coast. Ireland has lived in Portland, OR<\/a> since leaving Los Angeles in 2020, while Alec and Hilaria are based out of New York. Ireland shared that the pair bonded because \u201cHilaria has had a far more complex and chaotic upbringing than she let\u2019s on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe didn\u2019t always feel safe and seen. Sometimes, she is too loyal to a fault. She is eccentric and totally bats\u2013t crazy (in a fun way) but she saved my dad\u2019s life,\u201d Ireland continued. \u201cShe turned his health around and has shown him the forgiveness and kindness that he needed. She also recognizes and nourishes the parts of my father that are the most compassionate and wonderful. She\u2019s taught him that he doesn\u2019t need to suffer inside of his own head and stay stuck in his own past. That it\u2019s never too late to admit you need help and it\u2019s never too late to learn to be kind to yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Ireland then pointed out that Hilaria is the reason she\u2019s able to have a close relationship with her father, which has not always been the case<\/a>. She also said that the couple have given her the \u201cbig family\u201d she always wanted, since her father and mother Kim Basinger<\/strong> separated when she was just a child.<\/p>\n \u201cShe has always respected me, accepted my flaws, embraced me, and has always shown me kindness,\u201d Ireland gushed. \u201cI met her as a teenager and I needed her as an example. I still very much look up to her now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am so proud of her for doing Dancing With the Stars<\/em> and I CANNOT wait to cheer her ass on. She deserves this!\u201d she added. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not my place to share the ins and outs, but this woman is a gem and deserves all the love.\u201d<\/p>\n Hilaria was recently named<\/a> as a Season 34 contestant of the long-running ABC dance competition reality series, among other celebrities including\u00a0Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles, actor Corey Feldman, Boy Meets World<\/em> star Danielle Fishel, wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin, comedian Andy Richter, and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives<\/em> stars Whitney Leavitt and Jen Affleck.<\/p>\n The new season will premiere<\/a> on ABC and Disney+ on Sept. 16.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n