Meghan Markle's friend has defended the former Suits star after her latest Netflix venture, With Love, Meghan received mixed reviews. The eight-part series in which the duchess, 43, larks about with her famous pals - as well as explaining how to make ice cubes - has been widely panned by critics, with some claiming the former Royal is being less than genuine. Meghan's dad, Thomas Markle, has accused his daughter of being 'inauthentic' in the series while comedian, Katherine Ryan, suggested the mum-of-two was lying about certain aspects of her childhood. However, there are those who are big fans of the show and Meghan's pal, Abigail Spencer, is one of them. Suits star, Abigail, pops up in the series alongside Kelly McKee Zajfen as the giggly trio season salt-baked fish and mimosas. Meghan and Abigail first met in 2007 at an audition, but they became friends once they became co-stars on legal drama Suits. Meghan played Rachel Zane - a paralegal who later became an attorney - in the series and Abigail was cast as lawyer, Dana Scott. Abigail told Hello that the pair have a 'private a friendship' but she was happy that Meghan could showcase her 'natural' self doing what she loves - hosting her friends and family at her palatial pad in California. She said: "Meghan is the hostess with the most. Literally for years she has been like this. But I really was there just to support her and surround her. This is her heart, that show is her heart, it was so natural and [I was] really just there to have fun and to delight in her and to be a safe space. "We have a very private friendship, so choosing to let people in on part of that is… it's very private but I'm glad that we got to share a little bit of it." Meghan and Abigail - who was a proud recipient of a pot of jam made by the duchess last year - share the exact same birthday, date, month and year and call themselves 'birthday soul sisters'. There's no doubt that Meghan has a legion of loyal supporters, with Netflix renewing her show for a second series. However, she's also got a fair few critics, namely Canadian comic, Katherine Ryan. Katherine used to champion the former royal, saying she was rooting for her when she joined the Royal Family. However, she then accused Meghan of lying when she hot-footed it to the US and subsequently withdrew her support. Talking on her podcast, she said: "I liked Meghan Markle. I was rooting for Meghan Markle... though she is very Hollywood - even for me - and I don't like that in people. I see now, and maybe it's just the projects she's choosing, it does feel like she has lied about whether she knew who Prince Harry was, and these details about her childhood change and don't add up." Katherine continued: "She said on her new Netflix show that they ate TV dinners growing up. But then in an old interview, she was like, 'we would eat farm fresh'. Her whole act just seems very manicured and very forced." Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .