A mother-to-be has praised the TikTok postwoman who sparked outrage by giving customers just two seconds to open their door to receive a delivery in a viral video.
Laura Orgill, 26, filmed herself at the front door of heavily pregnant Kate Pearce, 32, who had no chance of getting to the door in time at her home in Pontypridd, South Wales.
The video - captioned 'when a customer takes longer than two seconds to answer the door' - sees uniform-clad Ms Orgill laugh as she drops off the slip, which tells a customer to collect their parcel at their local delivery office.
Many people slammed the controversial video and reported her to her employer. The Royal Mail refused to fire its poster girl and said that it has 'reminded her of the need to always uphold the highest standards'.
Ms Orgill yesterday insisted the video 'was a joke' and broke down in tears amid backlash over it.
Ms Pearce, who was behind the door of the home featured in the video, has revealed she was not expecting a parcel - just a baby in three weeks time.
The drama teacher said: 'It was just a joke - there never was a parcel. I had no idea the postwoman had filmed herself at my front door until I saw it on social media later.
'But she was welcome to film here - she is a breath of fresh air.'
Ms Pearce has even put up a sign on her front door saying: 'We love the TikTok postie. Don't let them get you down!!'
But other locals in the villages of Pentre and Ystrad in the Rhondda Valley - where Ms Orgill works - say she is letting down the community.
Barmaid Sophie Evans, 24, said: 'I'm not really fussed on her, I think it's a disgusting way to behave. She does it for the attention and has lots of people following her on TikTok but if you ask me it's for all the wrong reasons.'
Others said she was 'disrespecting' residents and the Royal Mail.
But Ms Pearce, whose father Mark Lewis is a retired postman, said: 'I feel very sorry for her, it's all been overblown.
Kate Pearce (pictured outside her front door) has praised Laura Orgill and said she was a 'breath of fresh air' in the community
Furious villagers have slammed 'attention-seeking' post woman Laura Orgill, 26, (pictured today) after she shared a TikTok video bragging about waiting just two seconds before not delivering their parcels
'I didn't know anything about it until I recognised my own front door in the video.
'I have nothing but good things to say about Laura, she's a positive role model in our community.
'She did shopping for elderly people during lockdown, she dances and sings to local children, she wouldn't offend anyone.'
Ms Pearce, who has a two-year-old son Charlie with school transport manager husband Michael, said she was delighted Laura has kept her job.
She said: 'Her video was a parody of what people think postmen and postwomen are like. But Laura's not like that - we all think she's amazing.
'Delivering the mail is a very undervalued service to society.'
Ms Orgill (pictured) yesterday insisted the video 'was a joke' and broke down in tears amid backlash over it
The video - captioned 'when a customer takes longer than two seconds to answer the door' - sees uniform-clad Ms Orgill laugh as she drops off the slip, which tells a customer to collect their parcel at their local delivery office
Retired fireman Trevor Holloway, 85, said: 'She sounds like a right pain in the a**e - I need a walking stick to get about, there's no way I can answer the door in two seconds.
'I get parcels from my grandchildren and great grandchildren for my birthday and Christmas - I can't get to the sorting office so I could miss out altogether.
'People pay the post office to have their items delivered, this young lady is not doing her job.'
Retired Red Cross worker William Davies, 63, said: 'It's part of the postman's job to keep an eye on old folk, not to treat them disrespectfully.
'This young lady is not doing her job and sounds like a bit of a no-hoper to me. I'm surprised she's not been sacked.'
Father-of-three Ian Jones, 39, said: 'I've seen her video a few times and what gets me is that she laughs her head off while she's doing it.
'She's in Royal Mail uniform and totally disrespecting people who pay good money to have parcels delivered.
Ms Pearce has even put up a sign on her front door saying: 'We love the TikTok postie. Don't let them get you down!!'
'There could be an old person on the other side of the door who takes a while to get out of their chair. I'm pretty fit and I can't get to my front door in two seconds.'
Ms Orgill yesterday said she has been left 'upset' by the furore, telling the Sun: 'I've very upset about the situation. All I did was use a trending sound and think of a funny scenario that people think that posties do to match the sound and unfortunately people have taken it seriously.
'All I've tried to do is use my platform to spread positivity and fun. During such uncertain times which has now led to me being upset, all through the last year I used my platform for good.'
Her mother told the publication: 'What she said was plainly a joke. It's ridiculous. She phoned me crying and saying how upset she is and that it was only ever a joke.I don't think what she did was stupid. It really was just a joke.'
Today, Ms Orgill - who has raised £7,000 for cancer charities through her videos - shared another video saying a 'massive thank you' for the support she received from fans. She said she wants to 'put all this in the past' and move forward.
She then posted another clip asking her viewers what their plans are for the day.
Ms Orgill, the self-proclaimed 'TikTok postie', has become an online star after posting videos in south Wales' Rhondda valley, where she lives with her girlfriend. The account is her own but she appears to have the backing of bosses, who put her in a video for Royal Mail's official careers page on Facebook.
A Royal Mail postwoman broke down in tears amid a backlash over a TikTok video in which she bragged that she only waited two seconds for people to answer the door
She shares videos about her work with Royal Mail to the platform, on which she has 745,000 followers.
After she was inundated with trolls, Ms Orgill posted another video in which she said: 'Comments like this really upset me.
'All I do is try to upload silly videos day in day out to cheer people up because I know how much they do in these uncertain
