Halle Berry has responded to comments made by her ex-husband David Justice, who recently claimed she was not “motherly” during their marriage in the 1990s.

The Oscar-winning actress marked her 59th birthday with a series of holiday photographs on Instagram, accompanied by the caption: “Phew...! cooking, cleaning and mothering.” The post was widely interpreted as a pointed reply to Justice’s remarks.

Justice, a former Major League Baseball player, discussed the couple’s divorce on Matt Barnes’ All The Smoke podcast. He explained that at the time he held traditional views of marriage, influenced by his upbringing in the Midwest. “My knowledge and my understanding, my wisdom around relationships just wasn't vast. So, I'm looking at my mum – and I'm a Midwest guy. So, in my mind, I'm thinking a wife at that time should cook, clean, [be] traditional, you know?”

Berry and Justice met in 1992 and married the following year after Berry proposed. Their relationship ended in divorce in 1997.