Love Island star Laura Anderson started planning her daughter’s first birthday over six months ago, and the result was a perfect party, filled with family and friends, blush-pink balloons, cupcakes and a white bouncy castle fit for a princess.
‘It was a really nice day and so many people came. It’ll be good to have those memories and pictures to look back on when she’s older,’ says Laura, who shares Bonnie with former Hollyoaks and EastEnders actor Gary Lucy.
The couple met on C4’s Celebs Go Dating in 2022, but broke up before Bonnie was born, with Gary confirming the split less than 24 hours after Laura announced her pregnancy on Instagram. While Laura is based in Glasgow for her job co-hosting Capital Scotland’s breakfast radio show, Gary lives down south in Essex.
Laura, 35, says the celebration has helped her reflect on how far she’s come in the past year, raising Bonnie on her own. She says, ‘My friends wrote cards, saying, “It’s your anniversary of being a mum for a year”, “You should be proud” and, “She’s a credit to you”.
‘I hadn’t had time to reflect, but then you hit that year and realise, she’s happy, she’s healthy, I’m able to provide for her, and I have a lot of amazing people around me. I should take a moment. I feel like I’m running about like a headless chicken, but it’s worth it; she’s amazing.’
Laura admits the past year has been a steep learning curve, juggling parenting with trying to earn a living, although she’s now been able to employ her mum to look after Bonnie in the mornings when she’s at work.
She says, ‘You can’t really prepare for it. I never saw myself being a single mum, so I didn’t think about the challenges I’d face. You have challenges as a parent anyway, but there’s double the pressure as a single parent.
‘Financially, I was a bit worried and I thought, “How am I going to work and look after her because it’s just me?” I’ve always been an organised person, but you have to be so selfless.’
Laura, who found fame in the 2018 series of Love Island and came runner-up along with her then-boyfriend Paul Knops, admits her social life has taken a hit, but it’s a small price to pay for being a mum. She says, ‘People ask me all the time to go for dinner or do other things and I feel bad because I always say no, but I put Bonnie first.
‘I haven’t had a lot of “me time”, but I like just being her mum; that’s enough for me. I’ve got plenty of time to be a little more selfish when she’s older. I’m all she’s got, so I take that very seriously.’
When it comes to self-care, Laura admits it’s still way down her list of priorities and jumping in the bath with Bonnie at the end of a tiring day is as good as it gets.
She explains, ‘I don’t really feel like I’ve looked after myself, if I’m honest. I don’t feel I’m getting all the nutrients I’m feeding my daughter! She has all this fruit and veg, and I’m sat there with my cereal, toast and leftover pasta, but it’s something I do want to work on.
‘Maybe when she’s older I’ll put her into nursery for a day. I’m just trying to figure out what’s working, make as much money as I can and spend as much time with Bonnie as possible.’
However, now she’s a year into motherhood, Laura says she has finally started to think about dating again. She says, ‘It would be nice to meet someone soon; I think it would be good for me and that I deserve it, but I’d need to take it slowly and it would need to be someone who would take on me and my daughter as one. I believe everything happens for a reason, so when the time is right, I’m sure the right person will come along, but Bonnie will always be my priority.’
For now, Laura is enjoying watching Bonnie grow and reach all her milestones. She says, ‘As soon as she was here, I felt very connected, and that gets stronger each day. She’s walking and saying little things like, “Mama”, “Dada” and, “Baba”, and she’s really into books.
‘The best moments we have are when I’m feeding her and I’ll say funny things, and it’s almost like she understands my jokes because she laughs. It’s just so amazing to have that connection with this tiny little human.’
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‘I swear by The Blissful Baby Expert book by Lisa Clegg. I read it before Bonnie came along and it taught me all about the sleep and feed routine. Getting that right saved me,’ says Laura.
‘Checking in on Q&As or chats on Instagram and following parenting accounts teaches you tips and tricks. For me, knowledge is key. I can put on my story that Bonnie’s having a hard time teething, and so many mums jump to help. I don’t feel alone.
‘Asking for help is a big one. If you can get time to reboot, take it. My mum has Bonnie in the mornings while I work, but my dad takes her overnight every couple of weeks on a Sunday, so I can have the evening to myself.’
With thanks to @bespoke_balloonsscotland for the venue, balloons, soft play and bouncy castle.