Kim: I had it Doll to do after third child
The Pussycats singer and mum of three tells John Dingwall why her speedy return to the stage was the challenge of a lifetime
HAVING found fame as a member of the chart-topping Pussycat Dolls, Kimberly Wyatt returned to the stage last year just weeks after giving birth to her third child, son Ford Senna.
The American singer and dancer saw her return as a massive achievement, having accepted the challenge to get into shape so soon after her pregnancy.
Kimberly said: “I had my third baby and six-and-a-half weeks after I was in my rehearsal for our comeback performance with the Pussycat Dolls.
“It was the challenge of a lifetime, honestly, but I am a go-getter.
“Training for the Pussycat Dolls started during the pregnancy and on the operating table because I had to have a caesarean.
“The amazing doctor stitched my abs together and helped me get off painkillers as soon as possible and up on my feet.
“Even when I stepped on stage it was the most vulnerable I’d ever felt in my entire life, presenting myself to the world.
“But the fire to be able to be a Pussycat Doll again and own my space and share what I love to do was enough to make me want to take on my challenge.”
She added: “I felt like I was being very brave, but vulnerable and the vulnerability would often take over.
“I had to focus on the task at hand. After becoming a mum, here I was getting the chance to own this body, whatever shape or form it was in.
“That gave me a real purpose and desire to do it.”
Kimberly says she has little time for those who criticised the revealing outfits worn by the group when they launched their comeback.
She said: “It think we have our differences and it’s not for everybody, but I know my journey to be a performer that I am comes from a very big dance background.
“It comes from years in ballet and gymnastics, being in New York and LA and fighting for jobs against 500 other girls.
“It’s really about a woman that is owning her moment and it is not about anyone else.
“People are certainly not complaining about Strictly, yet they’re complaining about the Pussycat Dolls.
“What they don’t see is me backstage when I was breastfeeding my baby. I handed him to my husband, went out to do the performance of a lifetime and then come off.”
Kimberly added: “The emotions of that performance and what we had just done together with this tiny little baby was amazing and I won’t let anybody take that away.”
Her group’s tour dates were postponed after the pandemic hit and will now take place this summer, including a date at the Glasgow Hydro on June 2.
Kimberly admits the postponement turned out to be a blessing as it gave her the chance to spend time at home with her children and model husband, Max Rogers.
“I’ve got three little cubs and we’ve been in lockdown,” said Kimberly, who also has daughters, Willow, six, and Maple Lyla, three.
“It’s the first maternity leave I’ve ever had. It’s been a chance to sort of get my body working and functioning.
“Instead of looking at all the things I can’t do, I look at what I can do.”
Kimberly added: “I am so ready just to have joy in our lives and just be as stress-free as possible doing things that we love and are passionate about.
“It’s crazy when you’re alone for so long that your social skills take a beating. I look forward to having a conversation with someone face to face.
“I’m excited now to know that when we do go on tour that the fire is there.”