KIMBERLY WYATT EXCLUSIVELY INTRODUCES HER THIRD CHILD AND TELLS US WHY HE’LL BE THE LAST!
PUSSYCAT DOLL KIMBERLY WYATT AND MAX ROGERS TALK TO ok!’s JOSIE COPSON ABOUT THEIR BUSY LIFE WITH THREE CHILDREN AND WHY THEY DEFINITELY WON’T HAVE ANY MORE
Her family of four has expanded once more, but luckily Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt is very much used to being part of a five-piece group. While she spent her twenties touring the world with the chart-topping girl group, the 37-year-old dancer has spent her fourth decade in a quiet street in Surrey growing her brood with her husband, model Max Rogers, also 37.
The couple already share daughters Willow, four, and Maple, two, and their latest addition is adorable son Ford Senna (who they call Senna), who was born at 1.59pm on October 11 at St Mary’s Hospital in London, weighing in at 8lbs.
Having a newborn in the house again has done nothing to slow Kimberly down, as the star headed back to work just four days later with Senna in tow. ‘He is fitting into our lives, rather than us entering the baby bubble,’ she explains. As they exclusively introduce Senna to OK! at their home, the couple tell us why their relationship is so important, what life with three children is like, and Kimberly reveals her thoughts on a reunion with the Pussycat Dolls...
Congratulations! Tell us about the birth...
Kimberly: My first two babies were breech so I had to have Caesareans. Senna wasn’t breech, but as I’d had two I was advised not to give birth naturally. I had always hoped for a natural birth and it’s hard to have that choice taken away, but I accepted it. The best thing is knowing it was happening, so we got there at 11am on Friday, and he was out at 1.59pm, and by Sunday morning we were in the Mcdonald’s drive-through!
Max: I’d love for Kim to have delivered naturally as it’s what she wanted, but from a husband’s point of view it was great as we could book it in around the traffic. People question my priorities, but why would you want to sit in traffic on the day your child is born?
Kimberly: It’s very logical.
How did you feel when you woke up on Friday morning? Kimberly: I was so excited! What gets you through all the tough bits is imagining the magical moment when you meet your child for the first time.
Max: As she wasn’t in labour, it’s just like any other day. I was just looking at the big bump thinking, there’s going to be a baby on the outside in a minute. We’ve done it three times and it doesn’t get any less strange.
Was it just the two of you in the operating theatre? Max: Yes – there’s nothing for us guys to do, but at the same time there is everything. You’re a DJ, counsellor, camera crew and you’re there to hold things.
Kimberly: He gave me his hand when it got overwhelming, and played our favourite song – To Build A Home by The Cinematic Orchestra – that I walked down the aisle to. For the first time they put the sheet down a bit so I could see it happening, which was really special as I hadn’t had that option before. I thought he was so beautiful and so big.
Max: As he wasn’t breech, it was a different experience because we saw him come up head first. On the other two births it was like, what is that? Have you been cooking ham?!
Max, did you stay with Kimberly for the two nights afterwards?
Yes – last time they tried to tell me that I wasn’t allowed to stay, but they would have had to call the police to get me to leave my wife. It’s my baby too, and I want to be there.
You seemed to be very active right up until the day... Kimberly: I have two other kids, a career and a life, so I’ve just kind of gotten on with it throughout this pregnancy. It’s not been easy, but I’m quite happy that I have and I’m continuing to do that. I was presenting the British Citizen Youth Awards at the House of Lords four days after Senna’s birth, and we took him with us. He is fitting into our lives, rather than us entering the baby bubble like I have done with the other two. I’m still waiting for my uterus to come back in, so I’ve had to stick to maternity clothes. I ended up wearing the same suit I wore to the Specsavers Awards three days before Senna’s birth, and there were some of the same people there [laughs].
Max: I feel incredibly proud of my wife, and how she does things her own way. Kimberly has done incredible things that other people are not capable of. In my opinion, she’s the best dancer that’s ever been, and that takes you doing stuff you’ve never done before. That’s the way she approaches everything.
Kimberly, how are you finding the recovery?
Brutal! I’m a dancer so the toll it takes being cut in that way is hard. We have the most comfortable bed in the world, but I can’t get out of it as I don’t have any core strength, so I’ve had to sleep on the sofa. Max has been helping me – he does Pilates classes in the lounge.
Max: I’m a fitness coach, and I got my pre and postnatal qualifications when we fell pregnant. She wants to be
able to dance again, but with regards to how she looks, that just doesn’t matter. I won’t let anybody measure or weigh her because it’s totally irrelevant.
Kimberly: I’ve also started waist training. I have a Belly Bandit – it’s a bit like a corset, but way less invasive. It helps your uterus come back in as naturally as possible.
How did you feel when you found out you were having a boy?
Kimberly: We were so happy! We knew that we were only going to have three children, so this was the last chance. For me, it was the most celebrated little penis I’ve ever had.
Max: I’m down to second [laughs].
How did you decide on the name?
Max: I’ve always wanted the name Ford because my big career break was getting the cover of GQ with Tom Ford. Then my dad was a racing car driver, and so his middle name is Senna after F1 driver Ayrton Senna.
Kimberly: We had it chosen since before we were married. One sad thing about not having a boy would be we’d never get to use the name.
Did your daughters understand they were going to have a baby brother?
Max: They’ve been heavily involved. They had their own little babies to carry around and they’ve been stuffing them up their tops. I came home one night and Willow was sat up with all the pillows around her like she was in a hospital bed, and she was cradling a doll. I thought, you’ve actually nailed it!
Kimberly: We bought them presents to bring Senna, and he had also got them some back which was special. They love him so much! It’s the most exciting thing for them. As soon as they get up it’s: ‘Where’s baby Senna?’
How are you adjusting to being parents to three young children?
Kimberly: It’s mental at the minute, with breastfeeding and my healing, but it feels right. We feel complete.
Max: It feels like we were supposed to have three children, but come back in a few years and see what I say [laughs].
There definitely won’t be a baby number four then?
Kimberly: No! I had my tubes clamped while I was in there.
Max: I’m having a vasectomy too – we’re not taking any chances. I’m sure we’re going to be together forever, but if we did split for whatever reason then Kim couldn’t have kids with somebody else, so I shouldn’t be able to either.
How is Senna sleeping?
Kimberly: Much better than the start, we can go three hours between feeds. I have an app that measures everything – sleep, poo, wees, which boob he’s on, everything! I managed to go two months breastfeeding with the first, and then six months with the second – I felt like a rock star. We’re going to start the Gina Ford programme soon to get him into a schedule. We’re not quite as strict and I know a lot of people hate the book, but it worked really well with the first two.
How is your relationship coping with three children?
Max: There are challenges, and moments that could become arguments, but if we check in then we get through it. We’ll do an overnight stay before Christmas so we can continue to be on the same page. Kimberly: I couldn’t do it without Max. A real goal of ours is to set an example about marriage and love for our children. It’s hard not to just get lost in motherhood, career and ourselves so it’s important that we work on it.
Have many of your celebrity pals been to visit?
Max: Ashley [Roberts] was the first person to meet Senna at the hospital. She came straight from LA so she was jet-lagged. It was nice that she made the effort, as by the third baby people don’t bother so much. Willow had queues round the block, and now people are like: ‘Oh, you’ve had another one?’ Abbey [Clancy] is going to pop in this week.
Kimberly, there are rumours The Pussycat Dolls could be reuniting soon... There’s nothing I can share, but I’m staying optimistic about it all. I’d definitely be up for it. I’m a mum of three now so getting back up on stage would be a lovely thing to share with them. The first time I was on stage with The Pussycat Dolls was the most empowering moment of my life. To live in that space again, and show my children what that means to me would be a dream.
Nicole Scherzinger was the lead singer, but there are reports you’ll have more equal roles this time...
That’s not my decision to make, but I’d like to think we’d all be more equal this time. It would be brilliant.
What is the modelling world like now, Max?
I don’t want to sound like an old model, but the platform has changed because of the introduction of influencers. It’s created an unregulated market and the standards aren’t quite the same any more. They are different gigs and great in their own right, but it’s frustrating when it’s seen as the same thing. With great change comes a new way of doing things. I love my job and I would have never met my wife without it!
I’m doing it! Everything that I’ve ever wanted has come true. I’ve got a family, a beautiful home and a beautiful life. Acting has started to take my heart. I am in the second series of CBBC’S Almost Never, and I’ve got a short film called Fallen Dreams with Laura Whitmore coming out. I want The Pussycat Dolls round two in 2020, too. I just want to do good work, and be a good mum.
Max: Work can take us away from the kids, but then we come back energised. Hopefully we’ll show them that if you want something then you can make it happen.