AN ACTRESS who became a mother at the age of 56 has responded to trolls criticizing her appearance, comparing her to her baby boy's great-grandmother.
Claudia Raia conceived naturally last year at an age so rare that there aren't many statistics on it.
Claudia Raia welcomed her youngest son, Luca, in February this year. She has faced cruel trolling about her age and urged women to "have more empathy" towards each other.
She shared the news of her pregnancy and subsequent birth on social media but has since endured relentless abuse.
Under one Instagram post of her newborn son Luca, one troll commented: "Is she the child's grandmother or great-grandmother?"
"We need to stop this mania of judging or putting limits on other people's maternity, because each person sees this experience in a very intimate and unique way."
Claudia previously implored women to "please have more empathy" during a TV interview in Brazil when discussing the backlash her pregnancy received.
The Brazilian actress has found that other women are her biggest critics.
She welcomed a baby boy named Luca in February, and she says he is "already claiming his space" in the world.
The baby's dad is actor Jarbas Homem de Mello, whom Claudia tied the knot with in 2018.
Claudia gave birth to her first two children over 20 years ago in a different marriage and was taken aback by a doctor's suggestion that she had a third on the way. She recalled: "When the doctor asked me for a beta, the pregnancy blood test, I said, 'Baby, you're really crazy. Where did you get this from? I'm 55 years old.'
"I went to the pharmacy, bought the Clearblue, I couldn't stand it.
"Because I said, 'I have to take the test' – a test that everyone does – what is this, I'm going to wait a day and a half for a blood test to come? I can't stand it. Then I took the test and it came back more than three weeks pregnant.
"I said, 'it cannot be. Guys, I'm 55 years old.'
"Months later, she took to the photo-sharing app to reveal the exciting news of Luca’s safe delivery.
Claudia started her showbiz career as a dancer in America after moving from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She shot to fame in 1985 when she appeared on a Brazilian prime-time TV show.
