Stacey Dooley has always been refreshingly candid, and in a heartfelt new interview, the former Strictly Come Dancing star shared her thoughts on motherhood, her past regrets and her hopes for the future.
The 37-year-old, who welcomed her first child Minnie with professional dancer Kevin Clifton in 2023, revealed that she would love to expand their family.
© Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock"I would like to have more children," she told The Guardian. "But it's not a given, is it?" However, as she approaches her 38th birthday, Stacey confessed to having some regret about not starting a family sooner.
"Other mums were always destined to be mums. They knew. It was non-negotiable for them. But I didn't have that thought," she explained ahead of the release of her new book, Dear Minnie.
"If I'd started sooner, I could have had more," she added. "I might have had two, or three, or four. But you have to be realistic about these things. Like, biologically.
"I did everything I needed to in my 20s. I had an amazing decade of prioritising myself. All of that freedom. But, actually, I think I should have… I didn't know I'd feel like this."
Asked what her partner Kevin thinks about the idea of a bigger family? "He's up for it," Stacey replied.
© Dan Wooller/ShutterstockDuring the chat, Stacey admitted that she owes her fellow mothers an apology after previously assuming that being a parent "can't be that hard".
"You know, I used to see mums finding it tough and I'd think, 'It can't be that hard,'" she divulged. "I really used to think that. Which is [explicit] hilarious. I owe all of those women an apology."
© InstagramIn Dear Minnie, Stacey chats with women who have faced a range of experiences with conception, pregnancy and childbirth. In contrast, she describes her pregnancy as relatively straightforward.
"I've never in my life been that tired," she explained, adding: "I hadn't taken into consideration how vulnerable I'd feel. And you’re madly in love with this person. And it's a love you don't recognise."
