# David and Stephen Flynn

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

## 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.

## Careers

In 2004, they opened the Happy Pear Café and Natural Food Shop in Greystones, County Wicklow. At its peak, the business employed 200 people in 4 locations. By 2021 this decreased to 72 people, closing several locations .
They won the 2016 Avonmore Cookbook of the Year Award at the Irish Book Awards. The twins won the 2021 celebrity edition of Ireland's Fittest Family.
They have a large online social media presence, including more than 600,000 Instagram followers.

## 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". The twins later admitted they had "made a mistake" and were "ignorant" before deleting the video.
They also appeared on Ray D'Arcy's national radio show to apologise. They discussed their apology video, which received criticism from some for appearing insincere. However, they explained that their nervousness contributed to that impression. They promised to "stick with our own expertise" in the future. Their apology video received some negative reactions, being described as "appalling", "insincere", and a "non-apology".[19]
In April 2023, they issued an apology for an episode of their podcast on which they admitted they had misled and misinformed listeners, adding it ‘will not happen again’(20). In a statement to the Irish Independent.ie a spokesperson said: “The Happy Pear acknowledges that some of the content in a recent reel post across some of our social media platforms in relation to a podcast with US-based Dr Zac Bush MD, has caused offence, with some statements not given the appropriate qualification or context. It was never the intention to mislead or to misinform and we sincerely apologise for any offence caused.” In the show, their guest Zach Bush had made incorrect claims about the effects of antibiotics on mental health. Bush has been described as a pseudoscientist, a Covid denier, and a denier of germ theory. The podcast claims were widely refuted, including by medical consultant, Niamh Lynch. In January 2024, David refused to comment on whether he had received a Covid vaccine as it was irrelevant to the interview about his family.[]

## 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 from Belgium. They have one child.
The Flynns have been compared to fellow celebrity Irish twins Jedward and as a result have been nicknamed "Hummus Jedward" and "Vegward".