Amy Willerton
Model and television star Amy Willerton talks to new about her early struggles with motherhood and why her wedding plans have been put on hold
Beauty pageants, modelling and I’m a Celebrity… Amy Willerton has done them all. But she tells us her latest job is her best yet. In January she gave birth to her first child, daughter Demi, with her fiancé Daniel Day and, while motherhood has had its ups and downs, Amy, 27, is thriving in her new role as a mum.
We catch up with the model, who was discovered by Katie Price on her show Signed in 2011, over a video call.
The family were on a skiing holiday in Switzerland when lockdown was announced, so instead of returning to London, they decided to head to Spain to be close to friends.
“We know people who have a farm here and we knew there would be lots of land we could just walk around on,” Amy says.
Not only does six-month-old Demi make herself known during our chat, but we are also interrupted by some of the other guests staying at the farm. “We’ve got three geese that are only one or two days old, so I’ve got my hands full,” says Amy.
Here, she opens up about becoming a mum, dealing with criticism and why she and Daniel have put their wedding plans on hold…
Hi Amy. How are you finding motherhood?
I love it! I’m a very chilled-out mum. I’m very lucky I was able to give birth to Demi before corona hit, so I’m glad I didn’t have that worry. She’s not old enough to know what’s going on, so she’s quite happy as long as she’s got us keeping her entertained and happy. I’m just happy that me, my family and my little girl are safe – that’s all that matters.
What has been the most rewarding thing about being a mum so far?
It’s that love that’s indescribable. It’s very weird. I didn’t get it straight away – a lot of people said, “Oh, did you get that rush of it?” It took me a little bit of time to really adjust to that protective feeling or that undying loyalty that you have to your baby.
Is Dan quite hands-on with Demi?
Oh yeah, he’s amazing! Being a first-time mum is really hard work and it is a full-time job, so I am super lucky because of my Dan. If I want to go in the gym for an hour or go for a run, he’ll look after her for me and he gives me that time. To even have one hour a day, where you’re like, “This is my time” is so incredible and I’m aware that is rare, so I’ve got to keep appreciating the fact that I’ve got him. He is an amazing dad. I couldn’t ask for better.
You’ve spoken a lot about breastfeeding and how you only felt comfortable to feed in public when Demi was six weeks old. Why was that?
When someone gets their boob out, you don’t know where to look. Nobody is being mean, but you are kind of like, “Oh, I don’t wanna look.” There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s almost how we’ve been raised – if someone gets their boob out, you don’t look. It’s a really silly taboo and it’s something we need to work towards, but I was certainly raised where I felt a little weird about it. However, it’s not weird, it’s natural.
What was your first experience of breastfeeding in public like?
It took me some time to say, “I can just do it.” It was my friend from New Zealand who helped me. We were at lunch at The Ritz of all places and I just whacked it out and it was great. I realised I just needed to not worry about that. I thought that if I was going to do it,
I’m not going to cover it up or anything, I’m just going to go