Casey Batchelor on expecting her second child, trying not to "eat for two" and how sleep deprivation causes rows at home
Cradling her baby bump on our shoot, Casey Batchelor excitedly tells us she can’t wait to meet her new child. The ex-glamour model only gave birth to her first child, Florence, in May last year, but life is about to get even more hectic as she prepares to welcome her second baby withfiancé Dane Goodson.
"I’m going to have two babies 20 months apart… I can’t quite believe it!" Casey, 34, tells Closer.
Check out: all the celebrities expecting a baby this year
Pregnant Celebs 2019 Closer - SLIDER USE THIS ONE
1 of 16Chloe Lewis
Chloe Lewis announced her pregnancy with boyfriend Danny Flasher in May, with a v. cute Instagram post.
2 of 16Julia Goudling and Ben Silver
Congrats are in order for Coronation Street actor Julia Goulding and her husband Ben Silver who are expecting their first child – just three months after getting married.
3 of 16Hannah Elizabeth
Original Love Islander Hannah Elizabeth has been celebrating her pregnancy with some very racy lingerie snaps. She made her announcement in May.
4 of 16Helen Briggs and Chet Johnson
One of the only successful couples to have come from Ex on the Beach, Helen Briggs and Chet Johnson, have announced their first pregnancy with a really gorgeous snap on Instagram. "Half me, half you," wrote Helen, alongside the post.
5 of 16Jeremy McConnell and Katie McCreath
Jeremy McConnell's girlfriend Katie McCreath confirmed she's expecting their first child together (and Jeremy's second) a week after Jeremy made his own announcement on Instagramwhich he then claimed was "a prank".
6 of 16Lucy-Jo Hudson
Congratulations are in order for Lucy-Jo Hudson who has announced she's pregnant. The Coronation Street turned Hollyoaks star and her boyfriend Lewis Devine are due to welcome their first child together into the world next year.
7 of 16Lydia Bright
TOWIE star Lydia Bright has announced she's pregnant with her first child. The mum-to-be is due to welcome her little one into the world in February. The incredible news comes shortly after she revealed she's split from her boyfriend Lee Cronin/
8 of 16Jeremy Kyle and Vicky Burton
Jeremy Kyle announced he was going to be a dad again in August, to his first child with girlfriend Vicky Burton, following the axing of his daytime TV show.
9 of 16Rebekah and Jamie Vardy
Congratulations are in store for Rebekah and Jamie Vardy who are expecting another child together. The pair are reportedly "over the moon" at the incredible news.
10 of 16Lucy Mecklenburgh and Ryan Thomas
Lucy Mecklenburgh and Ryan Thomas announced they are expecting their first child with an adorable video showing Ryan's daughter with ex Tina O'Brien bursting into "happy tears" at the news. We predict a beautiful baby.
11 of 16James and Ola Jordan
The Strictly couple announced their long-awaited pregnancy with a magazine shoot and Instagram post. "After being with each other for 20 years and our love for each other growing stronger every day we finally feel complete and are so excited to share our amazing news that we are expecting a baby!!!!" said James. "It's been a long time coming but the day we found out was honestly the happiest day of our lives. It's something we have both wanted for a long time and I know Ola will make the best mummy ever
12 of 16Helen Glover and Steve Backshall
Olympic Rower Helen Glover has revealed she's expecting again just a year and a half after tragically losing one of her twins during childbirth.
13 of 16Ali Bastian and David O'Mahoney
Former Hollyoaks actress and Strictly contestant Ali Bastian has announced she's expecting her first child with her husband, David O'Mahoney, after they suffered a tragic miscarriage on New Year's Eve. "The moment I found out, I was so excited I could hardly speak," she told Hello! magazine.
14 of 16Aaron Chalmers and Talia Oatway
Aaron announced he was expecting his first child with girlfriend Talia Oatway, with some beautiful family portraits of them together along with Talia's daughter, who Aaron's played step-dad to since they got together two years ago.The shock announcement came just days after reports the couple had split as they unfollowed each other on social media.
15 of 16Ronan and Storm Keating
Aussie Storm and Boyzone's Ronan Keating are expecting baby number two. She announced the news on Instagram by sharing a picture of her two-year-old son, Cooper, kissing her tiny baby bump. Aww.
16 of 16Michelle McManus
Pop Idol's Michelle McManus is expecting her first child at 39-years-old. She revealed her baby news on Instagram as she wrote, "ud83cudfb6 On the 10th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Our very own little babyud83cudfb6 Baby Nimmo due early 2020ud83eudd30ud83cudffbud83dudc76ud83cudffbud83dude0d❤ufe0f @jnim86".
"It’ll be tough, but I’m going to ride the storm – we’re just so thrilled we’re having another baby."
While Casey readily admits the pair were keen to add to their family, she didn’t expect to fall pregnant so soon. The reality star – who has just passed 12 weeks – says, "Dane and I wanted more children – we’re both turning 35 and we got engaged in January, so we didn’t want to wait much longer, as time is ticking on.
"We decided to start trying, and I got pregnant straight away. I do feel very lucky."
Having suffered from nausea and dizziness, Casey – who has her hands full as a yoga instructor and looking after Florence – admits it’s not been plain sailing so far.
She says, "At the beginning I felt so bloated, and at times I felt sick and nearly fainted. Florence wakes me up at 5am and I’m on my feet a lot – sometimes I forget I’m pregnant! It’s only when I’m tired and I sit down that I remember."
As they prepare to have their hands full, Casey even admits they’re already thinking of expanding their family beyond two. She adds, "Dane’s always wanted four or five kids. We’re going to find out the sex this time round – if it’s another girl we’ll be chuffed, but we’ll keep trying for a boy."
After giving birth to Florence, Casey was praised for showcasing her post-baby body and for being honest about how much she enjoyed 'eating for two,' gaining four stone in the process.
She eventually dropped from a size 18 to an 8 by overhauling her diet and doing intense yoga workouts and even created her own app, Yoga Blitz. But Casey – who was classed as ‘obese’ after welcoming her daughter – says she’ll be keeping a closer eye on her diet this time.
She explains, "I enjoyed every minute of being pregnant – I loved eating doughnuts while watching box-sets – but I gained a lot of weight. Yoga changed my body for the better. I’m a healthy 8st 4lbs now, which is a stone lighter than I was with Florence at 12 weeks.
"I’m going to be more careful with what I eat – I don’t want to put on as much weight, because losing it was hard. I felt justified replacing alcohol with cake, but one big slice can contain 1,000 calories.
"I’ll still enjoy myself, but not to the extent where I’m eating a whole packet of biscuits with my cuppa,” she adds, before laughing, "Maybe just half the pack!"
But while she plans to try to eat more healthily during this pregnancy, the 5ft 2 star is adamant she’ll take her time getting back into shape.
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"I won’t put myself under pressure, I’ll lose weight when I feel ready. I think it can go some way to contributing to postnatal depression when new mums see celebrities who go back to being skinny straight away. It’s important for men to see what a real body looks like, too – some think you have a baby and your stomach just goes back to normal.”
Over the years, Casey has struggled with the size of her breasts, and in 2014 she had a breast reduction taking them from a 34GG to an EE cup. During her first pregnancy, they grew to an H cup before her weight loss caused them to shrink to a 34DD. As she prepares for her boobs to inevitably grow again, she admits she’s considering more surgery.