David and Stephen Flynn

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David and Stephen Flynn (born 12 December 1979), [1] also known as The Happy Pear Twins, are Irish business people, chefs and media personalities. [2] [3]

Contents

Background

The twins were born in Calgary, Canada. Their parents, Ismay and Donal Flynn, are Irish. The family returned to Ireland when the twins were two years old. They have two younger brothers, Mark and Darragh. [4]

Careers

In 2004, they opened the Happy Pear Café and Natural Food Shop in Greystones, County Wicklow. [4] [5] At its peak, the business employed 200 people in 4 locations. By 2021 this decreased to 72 people, closing several locations . [6]

They won the 2016 Avonmore Cookbook of the Year Award at the Irish Book Awards. [7] The twins won the 2021 celebrity edition of Ireland's Fittest Family. [8]

They have a large online social media presence, including more than 600,000 Instagram followers. [5] Their celebrity connections include the controversial comedian Russell Brand, whom they describe as "a great guy" and a friend. [9] [10] [11]

In 2024, they appeared in the British documentary film I Could Never Go Vegan. [12]

The Happy Pear are launching their latest cookbook, celebrating their last 20 years of being in business - simply titled 20. It launches on October 31st.

Medical misinformation

The Flynns have received international criticism for making unfounded medical claims. In an April 2022 video, they made incorrect claims about breast cancer rates and falsely stated that certain foods could prevent cancer. Their statements were widely condemned, including by cancer surgeon Liz O'Riordan and cancer scientist David Robert Grimes who described the video as "irresponsible". [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] The twins later admitted they had "made a mistake" and were "ignorant" before deleting the video. [18] Their apology video received negative reactions, described as "appalling", "insincere", and a "non-apology". [19] They also appeared on Ray D'Arcy's national radio show to apologise and promised to stop offering medical advice. [19]

In April 2023 they issued an apology for an episode of their podcast which they admitted misled and misinformed listeners. In the show, their guest Dr. Zach Bush made incorrect claims about the effects of antibiotics on mental health. [20] [21] Bush has been described as a pseudoscientist, a Covid denier, and a denier of germ theory. [22] The podcast claims were widely refuted, including by medical consultant, Dr. Niamh Lynch. [21] In January 2024, David refused to comment on whether he had received a Covid vaccine. [11]

Personal lives

Stephen is married to Justyna, a child psychologist from Poland. They have three children. David has two children with his ex-wife, Janet. David remarried in 2022 to Sabrina Vande Cotte from Belgium. They have one child. [23] [11]

The Flynns have been compared to fellow celebrity Irish twins Jedward and as a result have been nicknamed "Hummus Jedward" and "Vegward". [4] [5] They are friends with Australian actor Sam Corlett. [24]

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References

  1. ↑ Roantree, Megan (December 12, 2017). "Happy Pear twins share adorable childhood throwback as they celebrate birthday". VIP Magazine.
  2. ↑ "'We stepped outside our lane' – Happy Pear twins on social media video about breast cancer risk". Independent.ie. June 8, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Vegan Bros: Busting the Myth That Real Men Eat Meat". The Guardian. March 5, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "We talk to the Flynn bothers about their successful café". independent. 29 June 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 "Happy Pear Brothers Slammed Over €850 Wellness Staycation". April 14, 2023.
  6. ↑ "'Laying people off is the hardest' – The Happy Pear on business struggles, big egos and going back to basics". independent. 18 April 2021.
  7. ↑ Aodha, Gráinne Ní (November 17, 2016). "Ireland's favourite books for 2016 have been announced". TheJournal.ie.
  8. ↑ Delaney, Caroline (December 28, 2021). "Celebrity Fittest Family review: Happy Pears come up smiling and win it for Donncha". Irish Examiner.
  9. ↑ "'We're honoured Russell Brand visited us - maybe next time he'll come for a swim' - Happy Pear duo". Independent.ie. August 1, 2018.
  10. ↑ "The Happy Pear: 'We know we're not everyone's cup of tea'". Newstalk.
  11. 1 2 3 "'I was up at 5.30 this morning. We did press-ups, stretching and yoga' – At home with the Happy Pear's David Flynn and wife Sabrina". www.independent.ie. January 14, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Dartmouth Films announces release of I Could Never Go Vegan documentary exploring objections to veganism". The Upcoming. March 12, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  13. ↑ McDonnell, Ciara (April 27, 2022). "I'm a cancer surgeon and survivor and The Happy Pear were wrong about mushrooms". Irish Examiner.
  14. ↑ "Happy Pear apologise for 'factually wrong' breast cancer video". Lovin.ie.
  15. ↑ Dillon, Brian (June 9, 2022). "The Happy Pear admit recent breast cancer video was 'ignorant'". DublinLive.
  16. ↑ "The Happy Pear twins issue apology following 'irresponsible' video on breast cancer". FM104.
  17. ↑ Collins, Sophie (April 25, 2022). "Happy Pear apologise for video claiming vegan diet may reduce breast cancer risk". Irish Mirror.
  18. ↑ "'We stepped outside our lane' – Happy Pear twins on social media video about breast cancer risk". independent. 8 June 2022.
  19. 1 2 Glennon, Nicole (June 8, 2022). "'We're not doctors. We're not dietitians': Happy Pear apologise again for breast cancer video". Irish Examiner.
  20. ↑ "The Happy Pear - Plant Based and Vegan Lifestyle Online Courses". The Happy Pear - Plant Based and Vegan Lifestyle Online Courses. May 25, 2021.
  21. 1 2 "'This won't happen again' – Happy Pear twins apologise after controversial comments by podcast guest". independent. 20 April 2023.
  22. ↑ "The Droning Preacher of Mitochondrial Ecstasy". Office for Science and Society.
  23. ↑ Magliocco, Sarah (January 15, 2022). "The Happy Pear Dave's wife Sabrina lifts the lid on their stunning wedding". RSVP Live.
  24. ↑ McCarthy, Esther N. (February 23, 2022). "Sam Corlett on Netflix series Vikings Valhalla, and hanging out with the Happy Pear twins". Irish Examiner.
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