She’s almost seven months pregnant with twins and in the middle of renovating her dream home in Essex but as we chat to Frankie Essex on our exclusive photo shoot, she admits she’s not the least bit fazed about the months ahead.
Frankie, 34, tells Closer, “There’s a lot going on at the moment but I’m embracing it all before the real madness arrives!
“I’m at the stage now where I can barely tie my shoelaces, or put a pair of knickers on but I’m also in the middle of ripping out our new home, wallpapering one day and painting the next. Some days I forget I’m even pregnant, but I’ve got no choice but to carry on.”
The star, who shot to fame in TOWIE with brother, Joey Essex, in 2011, found out she is carrying a boy and a girl with boyfriend and personal trainer Luke Love in a gender-reveal ceremony last month. She adds, “Finding out I’m having twins was the biggest shock, nothing will ever surprise me in the same way again, but I’m not scared about what’s to come because I know I’ll handle it. Luke is brilliant; he Googles everything and has downloaded an app where he can see how the babies are growing. I’m very laidback in comparison!”
And Frankie jokes she’s already excited at the prospect of adding to her brood. “I’m really happy I’m having one of each because I feel like I have a ready-made family – but I can’t see myself being pregnant just the once. I’m such a maternal person and have always wanted a big family and I’d love to experience pregnancy all over again.”
Meanwhile, Frankie has been open about her body confidence in the past, admitting she’s succumbed to yo-yo dieting over the years, trying her first crash diet aged 18 and fluctuating between a size 8 and a size 16 at the height of her fame. But the star, who is positively glowing on our shoot, says she’s never felt so body confident and believes pregnancy has helped her accept her body.
“I’m well proud of my bump and I feel so good about myself right now,” says 5ft 7 Frankie. “My bum has mostly disappeared, which I’m gutted about, but my boobs have stayed the same size, and I don’t have any stretch marks. I’m in awe of my pregnancy body, sometimes I look down at my bump and laugh – I’m still in disbelief.”
“Before I fell pregnant, I was in a really good place physically [Frankie lost two stone following a Muscle Food meal plan last year]. I was spinning four times a week, eating healthily and was in great shape. I’ve been fixated on my weight in the past, but pregnancy has given me a new appreciation of what my body can do. I’m not worrying about losing weight afterwards or how I’ll look in the mirror – the most important thing to me is that my twins are healthy.”
And Frankie reveals Luke is a fan of her curves too. “He loves my pregnancy body and tells me he loves my belly. He gives it a little rub each morning and talks to the twins.”
What’s more, the star has been open about her mental health and has shared her experiences with depression and anxiety after tragically losing her mum when she was just 13. Though she admits her anxiety has subsided in recent years since meeting Luke, she did worry whether her mental health would be affected by her changing hormones.
“I’ve been scared about falling pregnant or getting married my whole life, because in the back of my mind, I know my mum isn’t here to share it with me,” says Frankie, who was praised for appearing alongside her brother Joey on his documentary Grief And Me last year. “I never quite knew how that would make me feel and it’s always something I’ve been anxious over, but now that I’ve got to that stage – I’ve realised I’m coping so well.”
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She adds, “I made my antenatal team aware of my history with depression, but it hasn’t affected me once during this pregnancy. My mental health has been really good, and the house has been a good distraction.”
“I definitely think Luke came at the right time in my life. Meeting him made a massive difference to my anxiety, he knew all about it within the first week of us meeting. The past few years have changed my life for the better. I used to rent with my dad and now I’m renovating my home with the love of my life.”
And while the pair are eager to meet her twins, Frankie admits her brother Joey is counting down the days too. “Joey’s so excited but he’s still a bit confused, it doesn’t feel quite real to him yet,” says Frankie. “His face was a picture when I told him we were expecting twins. He’s already bought a gift for the babies but tells me it’s a surprise. He doesn’t often show his emotions, but last week he said to me, ‘I’ll always be here for you and the kids’, which was cute. We’ve been through so much but these babies will bring us even closer together.”
My view on...
Getting married
“Luke and I will eventually get married but we’ve just bought a house, and have bills to pay, so we can’t afford to have a wedding just yet! I’d love to get married when our kids are around 10 so that they can enjoy it too.”
My TOWIE co-stars
“I spoke to Cara Kilbey the other day and we were laughing at how many of us are expecting babies at the same time. There’s me, Sam Faiers, Lauren Pope, Lauren Goodger, Jess Wright – it’s mad! I see Jess in the gym and she’s blooming, Lauren Goodger has wished me well too – she’s a trooper having one after the other.”
Staying healthy
“I’ve been eating healthily and eating for two to make sure my twins are getting all they need from me. Breakfast is two scrambled eggs with two toasts, bananas, a tuna wrap for lunch, followed by chicken, broccoli, peppers and rice for dinner. I’ll snack on biscuits with tea.”