Camera ready, equal parts nervous and excited, Mollie King imagined a picture-perfect moment to treasure when she introduced her two-year-old daughter Annabella to her new baby sister. However, it didn’t quite work out that way.
“She came charging in, straight to Gran – literally didn’t even see the Moses basket with a newborn baby in it!” Mollie laughs. “Oh gosh, I had pictured it so differently in my head!” It’s a moment that sums up this joyful new phase in the Radio 1 presenter’s life – chaotic and not quite as she expected, but full of love, nonetheless. In January, Mollie, 37, and her fiancé, retired England cricketer Stuart Broad, 38, welcomed their second daughter, Liliana. Preparing Annabella for the new arrival was something Mollie took seriously. “I was really nervous,” she admits. “I didn’t want her to feel things were going to change too much, but she’s very inquisitive, like me.”
With a little help from Annabella’s dolls and Peppa Pig to explain the change in family dynamics, Mollie and Stuart slowly introduced the idea of a new baby to their eldest. “She saw me naked one day and was like, ‘Oh wow, Mummy!’ That’s when I told her there was a baby in there.”
The star is now backing a campaign from Haribo, following Mummy Pig’s viral pregnancy announcement in Peppa Pig, exploring attitudes towards introducing a new sibling. It includes hilarious results, such as the most frequently asked questions from kids learning about new siblings, like, “How did the baby get in your tummy?” and “Can we trade the baby for something else?”
When Liliana finally arrived, Annabella was more interested in giving her granny a cuddle. But since then, it’s been another story, and Annabella is now a devoted big sister to Liliana. “She’s so loving,” reveals Mollie. “She wants to hold her all the time and snuggle her. I can’t say I have complete faith she won’t drop her, so I’m never more than three inches away!”
Now that she’s a mum-of-two, Mollie describes her home life as “very busy, very noisy and very chaotic, but amazing”. And surprisingly, she found the jump from one child to two less overwhelming than the first time around.
“When I say I knew nothing, I literally knew nothing,” she laughs. “I hadn’t been around kids much, I didn’t go to any classes. It was like having the dream job you’ve always wanted, but with zero qualifications. But with two, I’ve got more confidence – I trust my gut.”
And Mollie hasn’t ruled out adding more little ones to their brood. “I’ve always imagined this chaotic house with kids everywhere like Cheaper By The Dozen or Home Alone — kids sliding down banisters, running around the garden. I absolutely love the chaos and the unpredictable nature of them.” She adds with a grin, “Ask me again in six months, though!”
It helps that her other half Stuart is on board with her dream. “He’s convinced Annabella that golf is the best game. She collects the golf balls and brings them back to him – he’s got his own little caddy!” Mollie laughs. “If I tell him more kids means more caddies, that’s how I’ll convince him!”
While her Instagram highlight reel might show polished family moments, Mollie is also keen to be honest about the realities of parenting little ones, like second-guessing herself.
“I’m not the most confident person. I always want to call a friend or ask an expert. But my mum always says to trust your gut. You’re with this baby every day, they’re an extension of you. You just tend to know.”
In spite of the pressure new mothers often feel to “bounce back”, Mollie says it couldn’t be further down her list of priorities. “It’s low down my list. Life is just so full-on with two. I’ve got a new respect for my body – I’ve grown two human beings, and I’m proud of that.”
She adds that what matters now is strength, not size. “Just from carrying the girls around, my back, shoulders, neck… I get aches and pains I’ve never had before! I do love working out and jumping on the Peloton, but right now I just don’t have the time.”
And Mollie knows that motherhood has impacted her emotionally. “I probably am an anxious mum. I overthink everything, and I’m a people pleaser, but when it comes to the girls I’m quite happy to say no,” she says. “I’ve seen a stronger side of myself since having kids.
“Before kids, I said I’d be the mum who travels the world with a baby on her back, but as much as I’d love to be that person, I’m very different. I love a routine. I like knowing when naps and feeds are.”
Mollie says her bond with Stuart has only deepened. “He’s my best friend, that’s why we’re together. We laugh at the same things and feel like a real team now.”
She lights up when she talks about seeing Stuart as a dad. She smiles, “It’s made me fall in love with him even more. Watching him out in the garden with the girls, teaching them football, being so affectionate with them… I’m like, that’s my man! He’s such a good dad.”
Naturally, they still have their share of everyday bickers. Mollie explains, “He went out golfing the other day, and I had to send him a picture – six pairs of his shoes just dumped in the hallway! I couldn’t even get to the front door. He also gets Annabella dressed and we have a laugh because he knows I’m going to end up changing her outfit. I didn’t realise what a neat freak I was until we had kids. Stuart’s more… relaxed.”
The couple got engaged on New Year’s Day 2021, but with two children under three, wedding planning has taken a back seat. “I’m on Pinterest every night, looking at dresses, table settings. I’m such a romantic when it comes to those things. At first I wanted a big wedding, probably in the UK. But so much has changed since then. Now I imagine something small with the girls playing a big part. Maybe here, maybe abroad. I don’t know yet, but we’ll definitely do it.”
Through everything, Mollie’s close bond with her bandmates in girl group The Saturdays (who formed in 2007 and went on hiatus 11 years ago) remains one of her strongest support systems.
She says, “The girls are my best friends. We speak all the time – we’ve got a WhatsApp group called ‘Sats’. We have a good gossip there, or we reminisce. They’re all so encouraging. They’ve been so supportive of my baby range, Maybe Baby and Maybe Junior, too. We’re still each other’s biggest cheerleaders.”
Although life at home is wonderfully hectic, Mollie still has some creative projects bubbling away behind the scenes – especially with her Radio 1 co-host, Matt Edmondson. “I’d like to do a podcast. It feels natural to do something with Matt, who I have the radio show with – we have such a laugh. We’re brainstorming as we speak,” she teases. “Watch this space!”