HELEN FLANAGAN
HELEN FLANAGAN TELLS ok! ABOUT EXPECTING HER THIRD BABY, COPING WITH HYPEREMESIS AND PLANNING HER BIG DAY
Aside from preparing for the arrival of her third baby, former Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan is dreaming of a wedding day with her fiancé, footballer Scott Sinclair.
The couple got engaged in 2018 at Disneyland Paris and the 30-year-old tells us in our exclusive chat she’s hoping to marry her beau, 31, as soon as current coronavirus restrictions ease.
Her pregnancy has not been plain sailing so far, as she was recently hospitalised with hyperemesis (chronic sickness usually endured in the first trimester). The actress, who also suffered severe sickness in her previous pregnancies, reveals she’s “over the worst of it” now and is “dead excited” to add to her brood in March.
Here, Helen reveals how her girls – Matilda, five, and two-year-old Delilah will cope with another sibling, whether she’d like to have more children and if an abroad wedding is on the cards for her and Scott...
We’re sorry to hear you’ve been poorly again this pregnancy...
I’m just glad that I’m over the worst of it and I can enjoy my pregnancy now. I’m really excited I’m going to have my third baby – you have to take the positives from it.
Did you have good support while you were suffering?
Scott was amazing and really supportive and my mum has been great, so I’ve been really fortunate.
Is Scott excited? Yeah, he’s really excited. He’s lovely though, Scott. He’s really laid back, so as long as I’m happy, he’s happy.
Will Matilda and Delilah cope well with another sibling?
I really think they will and I always make sure I give my children a lot of attention. I really enjoy my work projects, like working with Pour Moi. Scott and I are very similar; he’s very into football and I’m focused on work projects. I’ve got a good work ethic and was on Coronation Street for such a long time. It’s really important to me and something that makes me feel good. I enjoy it. Apart from that, we’re very much into the children and what they want to do.
How do you balance work with family life?
At the weekend, we’re always doing things with the family, like nice days out and taking them to farms and parks. Now the pool is open, they can go swimming too, and they do activities like drama and sports.
Will you find out the sex of the baby? We’re not sure, we haven’t decided if we’re going to find out or have a surprise.
Do you have a preference?
No, not at all! I’d love a little girl and I’d love a little boy. I’m just so lucky to be able to carry again and be able to experience another pregnancy and have that special time. Just because we’ve got two girls, doesn’t mean I’m bothered either way.
Will you be done with having babies after this one?
I’m just going to see how I feel after baby number three [laughs].
Do you keep in touch with your Corrie co-star Brooke Vincent and see her little boy Mexx?
We message a lot, but we’ve not been able to socialise because of the coronavirus. But we do Facetime. But with the pandemic, you have to take the positives and it’s good we’ve got things like Facetime, but it’s not the same as seeing your friends.
A lot of people have had their weddings delayed or cancelled because of the crisis. Have you managed to do any wedding planning during lockdown?
Scott and I really want to get married. We talk all the time about what we want to do, but with the new rules, we’re working out what to do. We really want to get married soon, we just don’t know what the best plan of action is. My sister was getting married abroad this summer and she had to cancel her wedding. But so many people are in the same boat.
Would you like a wedding here or abroad? I’m really undecided. We’ve been together for 11 years but don’t know what we want to do.
Would you like to make a return to Corrie one day?
I want to go back to Coronation Street so much! But I’m lucky to have some time with my girls and enjoy my pregnancy, plus I’ve loved working with lingerie brand Pour Moi.
Congratulations on your collection with Pour Moi. Do you have any favourite pieces?
My favourite is the red rebel set and it comes in a navy as well. It’s really empowering and I felt great in it. It’s classy, sexy and I really like the quality of the bras. They fit really well and give you a pretty and feminine shape. I really like the opulence bralet and it’s emerald green, which is gorgeous. If you’re going on a night out, you could wear it with jeans, heels and a nice blazer.
Why did you decide to work with them?
I shopped with the brand at the beginning of last year because I was going on holiday to Dubai. I had just finished nursing Delilah, so I wanted to find some swimwear I felt really good and confident in. I wanted to feel glamorous and sexy, but classy. Pour Moi was the only brand that had the kind of swimwear I wanted.
And you’ve created a maternity bra, too... There are some really stunning maternity bras. There’s something for every woman and they’re all about body confidence. I’m very much about empowering women and I’m such a girls’ girl, so it was a really nice fit.
‘I’m very much about empowering women’