Dr C: “Quitting carbs won’t do you any good”
Former Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes opens up about her love for her husband, indulging in chocolate éclairs and trying for a baby boy
If anyone knows anything I about successfully juggling work and family life, it’s Rochelle Humes. The former Saturdays singer has got her hands full with daughters Alaia-mai, five, and Valentina, 18 months, who she shares with husband Marvin. While her career is going from strength to strength – alongside filling in for Lorraine Kelly on her breakfast show last month, Rochelle, 29, has just added fashion guru to her CV after curating her own collection for New Look – she even found time to run the London Marathon in April!
WORKING MUM
Despite her achievements, even Rochelle has moments of self-doubt. “Of course, we are all human,” she admits. “I have crap days, where I feel ‘ugh’ and get anxious about stuff. Some weeks are a whirlwind, and I’m like, ‘How can I pull this week off, juggling everything?’ But I try to tell myself to relax.”
One thing Rochelle is definitely not beating herself up about is her post-baby body, and she’s refusing to follow any fad diets. “I have my worries, but not about my body,” she explains. “It’s unrealistic to expect mums to snap back into shape. When you have a child, you’re not going to look the same as before – you’ve made a baby!”
She adds, “When I was in the Saturdays, I wasn’t the thinnest, but I’ve always been quite body confident. I don’t agree with dieting as it doesn’t work for me. I feel better after a juice, but I love M&S chocolate éclairs. As soon as I think about going on a diet, I want to eat everything.”
FAMILY LIFE
She adds, “The way I look would never keep me up at night. In another lifetime, I’d love to come back with washboard abs and a peachy bum, but it doesn’t bother me. I would rather have cake or pasta than worry. Plus, Marvin is a bum man, so he’s happy. I’m a believer in moderation – I’m raising two girls, and I would never want to be body conscious in front of them.”
Still, she agrees it’s important to stay fit and healthy, and swears by reformer Pilates, which she attends near her Essex home [at Zero Gravity].
She says, “I love it. I find cardio bulks me out, whereas Pilates lengthens and strengthens. It gives me an hour when I don’t have to think about anything else.”
When asked about whether she plans on having more children, Rochelle hesitates. “I’ll always be broody. I’m one of those people who sees a baby and goes, ‘Ahhh…’ But I feel very complete and happy right now. People always say, ‘Are you going to try for a boy next?’ And I bet I’d be the person who then has ten girls.”
Clearly, Marvin, 33, and Rochelle – who met in 2010 and married in 2012 – are still as loved-up as ever, and the TV star recently admitted she’d love to renew her vows.
She says, “Our relationship is important to us, so we are very aware when we need to go out for dinner. We’ll cancel things and have a date night instead. We are lucky to be so happy, but we both want our marriage to work. He can be on the other side of the room and I know what he’s thinking. He is my biggest cheerleader, and I am his.” After her own parents divorced when she was three, Rochelle was raised by her mum, Roz Wiseman, with help from her uncle, former England footballer Paul Ince.
“My mum is always saying, ‘You’re so lucky, Marvin is such a good dad’, because my dad was never around. But isn’t it sad that we have to be like, ‘He’s such a good dad’,
because he’s there for his kids? It infuriates me. I’m a bit of a feminist and I’m like, ‘Seriously? He’s doing what he should be doing.’ Nobody would ever go, ‘She’s such a great mum!’
She adds, “I don’t want to take away from the fact that he’s amazing. He is a bloody brilliant dad and the girls adore him. I know how lucky they are because I didn’t have it. And if I’d had that as a kid, I would be beyond happy – just as they are. I’m not knocking him for a second, because he is awesome.”
SUPPORT SYSTEM
Fans of The Saturdays will be pleased to know that the five girls are still tighter than ever, although there are no plans to reunite.
Rochelle says, “We’ve got this Whatsapp group about when we are going for dinner. It’s a nightmare to get us together with dates, but we’ve been messaging this week and have a cocktail night in the diary.”
The group’s strong friendship has likely been a welcome relief for Una Healy, who split from her husband Ben Foden in August after he allegedly cheated, and Rochelle says the girls have rallied around one another.
She says, “We’re lucky we never had rumours that we didn’t get on, because we did! I probably see Vanessa the most as we don’t live that far from each other. We’re all a big support system for each other.”
‘I have my worries, but not about my body’