SARAH-JANE CRAWFORD
The radio presenter reveals her joy at expecting baby number two
Days shy of turning 40, Hits Radio presenter Sarah-Jane Crawford has been given the best birthday present she could have dreamt of. “I’m having another baby!” she exclusively reveals to hello!, as she invites us to celebrate her news, along with her football manager partner Brian BarryMurphy and their daughter Summer, who turns one in August.
“It’s one of those things that’s a little bit surreal,” she adds, cradling her 18-week bump. “I never thought I’d have one baby, let alone two.” Pulling Summer onto her lap for a cuddle, Sarah-Jane is clearly a doting mum, making her little girl giggle in delight as they laugh and play in the sunshine. But adding another child to their brood will be an easier transition than when they welcomed Summer, she admits.
“Going from no children to one is a huge change,” she tells us. “I’m so happy I’ve managed to become a mum, and there are so many things I’ve learnt in
this incredibly steep learning curve.”
The things she’s learnt will now be put to good use for a second time. The news they were expecting came as an “amazing surprise” to the couple, who will welcome their new arrival in the autumn.
Sarah-Jane even videoed Brian’s reaction to the news. “It was quite funny. I’ve got him on camera going: ‘OhmyGod, I’m already so knackered. What am I going to do with baby number two?’” she laughs.
But having two children close in age is something Sarah-Jane knew she wanted, having discussed the idea of trying for another baby with Brian last year. She even sought advice from friends, who encouraged her to “get it over and done with now”.
“There’s part of me that thinks this is going to be so difficult, because I know, as much as I love Summer, it’s been such a life-changing thing in terms of workload, and mentally and physically challenging,” she says. “Then the other side of me is like, ‘Oh, but I’ve got this!’”
LIFE AFTER LOSS
Expecting again feels like an extra blessing for Sarah-Jane, who has been open about suffering a miscarriage a year before Summer was born. Normalising the struggle many women experience with fertility and pregnancy is important to the star, and one reason why she began her podcast, A Womb Of One’s Own, which debuted in spring. It sees her speak with like-minded women – including celebrities such as singer Sinitta – about their experiences and feelings as they navigate their ambitions and biological clocks. Sarah-Jane, who suffers from endometriosis, was also told by doctors she might need IVF to have children. “There will only be 16 months between
‘Having a child has been a steep learning curve and a life-changing workload, but I feel so lucky’
Summer and the new baby, and people say: ‘Oh, brilliant, our kids grew up together, they’re best friends.’ There are a lot of practical reasons and emotional reasons, in terms of siblings, why it’s good.
“But I didn’t have the luxury to think: ‘You know what, I’ll space them out a bit,’” reveals Sarah-Jane, who was aware that, at the age of 39, things may not be as easy. “We find it hard to accept that we have evolved as a human race in so many ways – women are more educated than ever before, we have impressive careers. But ultimately, what hasn’t changed is that there will come a day, on average in your 40s, where you can’t have any more children. That’s just the fact of the matter.”
CRAZY CRAVINGS
Pregnancy has been different this time. Morning sickness was “way worse than with Summer”, she says. And the passionate vegan admits she has been craving, of all things, meat. “People will go: ‘Oh, listen to your body. You obviously need the meat if you’re craving it.’ But I know it would make me so ill to suddenly start eating meat. I haven’t touched meat in six years!”
Sarah-Jane also speaks candidly about struggling mentally during her first trimester. “I felt like I had a bit of a black cloud. I knew it wasn’t circumstantial, because I might have had the best day, or great things were happening, and I’d still just think: ‘God, what is this really dark feeling in my head?’ Then it just kind of passed.
“I remember feeling the same last time. It can be so hard, hormonally, for pregnant women. And you feel bad about complaining because you know there are women struggling to conceive and you feel so lucky that you’ve got this miracle, but you just can’t help when the hormones hijack how you feel sometimes.”
Brian, who also has a daughter from a previous relationship who is “besotted” with Summer, has been on hand with plenty of support.
“He is a brilliant parent. And we do have a laugh,” she smiles.
The couple have recently moved into a new Victorian townhouse in Cheshire, which they’re renovating, and there’s a garden party planned for August to celebrate Sarah-Jane and Summer’s birthdays.
With restrictions lifting soon, it will be even more special. “I’m just looking forward to seeing as many people as I can!”
‘It’s a little bit surreal. I never thought I’d have one baby, let alone two’