Danielle Lloyd is beaming like a Cheshire cat at Closer’s exclusive photo shoot – and can’t wait to tell us her big news. “I’m pregnant again!” she says excitedly, touching her neat baby bump.
The model, who’s already mum to Archie, two, and Harry, 19 months, says she’s on cloud nine to be expecting her third child with footballer husband Jamie O’Hara, and is hoping for a girl this time. She reveals: “It’s going to be our last baby, so I’d love to have a little girl I can dress up rather than have to play football with! But, ultimately, all I wish for is a happy, healthy baby.”
She also reveals she’d love her newlywed pal Jordan, aka Katie Price, who she says is “very broody,” to have a baby around the same time.
Danielle reveals: “I’m hoping Katie will join me. She’s really broody. She’s definitely next in line. I’d love us to have babies at the same time. At my wedding last year, Archie and Princess [Jordan’s daughter] were bopping away on the dance floor. They’re best buds.”
Danielle’s pregnancy came as a total shock to her and Jamie, 26, who married last summer in a lavish ceremony. She reveals she conceived when the pair got “a bit carried away” on a night out in Liverpool last December to celebrate her 29th birthday.
And she admits she was “panicked” when she started to feel sick in January.
She says: “I knew something was up. I delayed doing a test for two weeks because I flew into panic mode. Jamie was also in shock. When I first saw the positive test, I thought to myself, ‘I must be mad.’ But when we had a six-week scan and saw the heartbeat, we were over the moon.
“I can’t wait to be a mum again – although this will be our last baby. I can’t believe I’ll have three children under four! Archie turns three a month before the baby is due, it’s crazy. Just having two boys is a complete handful, they’re very boisterous. Hopefully things will calm down when they all reach Archie’s age!”
It’s no surprise Danielle may have felt a little anxious at the thought of having another baby.
Despite loving motherhood, she suffered from postnatal depression with both her boys and was prescribed antidepressants as well as counselling sessions. She also suffered the trauma of Harry being born 10 weeks premature in July 2011. The brave star spent an agonising six weeks keeping a vigil by Harry’s incubator as he battled breathing problems and fought for his life. Thankfully, he pulled through and has suffered no long-term effects.
Danielle turns teary as she recalls that painful time in her life.
She says: “Seeing Harry fighting for his life was the most traumatic thing that has ever happened to me and I never want to go through that again. I’ve already spoken to the doctors and, although they don’t know why he came so early, it means I’ve been labelled ‘high risk’ this time, so I need to have regular check-ups. I’m taking everything very slowly so I can try to avoid any complications.”
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Birmingham-based Danielle, who found fame after winning Miss Great Britain in 2006, then appearing on Celebrity Big Brother in 2007, says after beating postnatal depression twice, she knows to seek help early if she sees any of the signs this time.
She admits she found it particularly hard to cope with the illness because she knows she leads an enviable lifestyle.
She says: “When I had postnatal depression, I felt ashamed because I felt so low and tearful, yet everyone was telling me how lucky I was to have a baby, a loving partner and an amazing house. But it’s a chemical imbalance and I needed to take antidepressants to come out of it. I only stopped taking them last February. If I see any signs I’ll go straight to my GP.”
Danielle – who’s admitted to having relationship counselling with Jamie after the stress of her depression and his football injury led to them postponing their wedding by a year – says another baby will only strengthen their family unit.
Although clearly excited about the new arrival to their brood, Danielle admits parenthood has taken its toll.
“Having two kids has had a huge impact on our relationship,” she says. “You end up bickering about stupid things like who’s getting up in the night or changing a nappy. But I wouldn’t have married Jamie if I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life with him. Having children is the best thing that’s ever happened to us. I’m such a proud mum.”
Danielle has just returned from a holiday in the Canary Islands with her mum and sons and, as Closer revealed last week, she was delighted to be feeling good in her bikini again after having reconstructive surgery on her boobs.
She had her third boob job a year ago, to reduce her 32E breasts to a 32D. But a few weeks later her implants ruptured and, during an op to remove them, doctors found a potentially lethal blood clot – she subsequently had a blood transfusion and was left with a scarred 32AA chest.
Now, after having reconstructive surgery to take her to a C-cup last September, she says she’ll give herself time to get her body back after the birth. Danielle, who dropped from a size 10 to a tiny 6 and just 8st after her trauma last year, says: “I’m 5ft 7, 10st and a size 10 now, but I go up to 11st when I’m pregnant. I want to stay fit this time – I didn’t exercise during my previous pregnancies. I’ve been swimming three times a week and I’ve got a personal trainer to do gentle exercise with me.
“I won’t be overdoing it or working out right up until the birth, but I’m determined to look sexy while pregnant. You can’t let yourself go. I’m not looking forward to getting bigger, but Jamie thinks I look sexier and says: ‘I love your big bum!’
“After the baby arrives I want to just enjoy that time for the first six months, then I’ll train to get back to my usual 9∂st. Luckily, I always lose weight through breastfeeding. It gets harder to lose it each time you have a child, but I’ll work for it – though, sadly, I don’t think my hips and waist will ever be the same!”
And Danielle, who says she’ll never have plastic surgery again, admits she won’t be watching what she eats. She laughs: “I think it’s the only time you can really justify overindulging. I’ve been craving Snickers bars and salt and vinegar crisps. For breakfast, I love a bacon butty, for lunch a jacket potato with tuna, then dinner is chicken and veg.”
And while Danielle says she’s miles away from the champagne-swigging good-time girl she used to be, she says she still loves driving her white diamond-encrusted Bentley, which Jamie bought her as a wedding present, to do her daily chores. She laughs: “I love driving to Sainsbury’s and taking it to the car wash afterwards – the car wash guys get so excited!”
Now Danielle can’t wait to share her baby knowledge with Closer readers – she’ll be taking us through each stage of her pregnancy in her new column, which starts next week.
She says: “Mums always ask me questions on Twitter and now I’ll be able to give Closer readers advice. I’m looking forward to helping other mums after all I’ve been through.”