I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE MY BABY!
The bubbly star shares her pregnancy joy
She’s five months pregnant, but Jennie McAlpine is fizzing with energy. The lovable redhead – who has played Coronation Street’s Fiz Brown since she was 17 – announced in April that she’s expecting baby number two with her husband Chris Farr.
The wee bub will be a little brother or sister for her threeyear-old son Albert and “he can’t wait”, laughs the actress. “He loves touching my bump, although the other day he lifted my top up in a shop to touch it and nearly exposed my bra!”
Jennie wasn’t much more than a child herself when she first set foot on Britain’s most famous street to take her place among the Weatherfield factory girls.
Having spent half her life in the spotlight, the 34-year-old knows exactly how to soak up the limelight. But away from the cobbles, she prefers to melt into the background – so much so that when she and Chris decided to get hitched after 13 years together, they told hardly a soul!
Instead, the super-private
couple married secretly in a small service at their local town hall, with just two witnesses and little Albert in attendance. They announced in January this year that they were officially husband and wife.
“I love a good wedding,” laughs Jennie. “I’ve been to lots of big weddings. I love it. But for myself, I’m more low-key and didn’t want to be the centre of attention. It was lovely to have Albert there on the day. I never wanted a big wedding, so for me the way we did it was just perfect.”
Mum on the run
It was soon after their underthe-radar nuptials that the couple discovered their second baby was on the way. “It’s gone much faster than the first time around,” tells Jennie. “With Albert, I didn’t have another little child running around, so I had more time to think about things. I’m absolutely knackered this time, but it’s hard to tell if I’m tired because I’m pregnant or because I’m working full-time and running around after Albert!”
Despite her exhaustion, Jennie can’t imagine waving goodbye to Fiz and her mates on the cobbles to become a full-time mother.
“Being a mum is the best thing in the world,” she enthuses. “It’s better than I ever imagined it would be. I find myself wishing I could live in some kind of parallel universe where I could work and also be at home full-time. But I choose to work because I love my job.
“As a parent, you never feel like you’ve got the balance right, but you just have to hope that you’re making the right decision by your family.”
As for disguising her bump on camera, she jokes that the wardrobe department has ordered a bigger handbag for Fiz. “No doubt I’ll be doing a lot of walking around with a washing basket too,” she says. “Luckily, Fiz wears a lot of baggy clothes and she spends a lot of time sitting behind a sewing machine, so no-one can really see my stomach.”
Alan Halsall, who plays Tyrone Dobbs on the show, was the first cast member Jennie shared her good news with. “He was really happy for me. We film together a lot, so I had to warn him I’d probably be needing lots of toilet breaks!”
As well as being parents to Albert, Jennie and Chris run a restaurant in Manchester called Annies, described as a “chilled out tearoom and comfort-food diner with home baking.”
Jennie explains, “We really enjoy having something we can work on together. When I’m filming a lot, he does the work and I pop in to help out when I can. I love getting to know the customers. We have
lots of regulars who we’ve got to know really well. We’re like one big family.”
With baby arriving sooner rather than later, however, Jennie concedes it might be a while before she throws on her pinny to whip up a batch of scones at Annies.
The couple have chosen not to know the gender of their baby before it arrives. “We’ve decided to save it as a surprise. Everyone thinks I’m having a girl, but I don’t have any inkling. It would be perfect if we had another boy because Albert is such a joy, but it’ll also be perfect if it’s a girl.
“I loved every minute of giving birth last time, so I’m hoping this time will be the same. I think labour is the most precious thing you can experience with a partner. In that moment, there’s nothing else in the world that matters – it’s such a special time. I can’t wait to give birth.”
I feel more prepared this time because I know what to expect. exciting’ It’s very