Stacey Dooley has shared her experience of pregnancy after releasing a book called Dear Minnie. The former Strictly Come Dancing star shares daughter Minnie with partner and professional dancer Kevin Clifton.
The TV presenter has written a heartfelt letter in the book, dedicated to her two-year-old daughter. They had Minnie in 2023 and have been in a relationship since 2018.
The letter shares details of the moment Stacey found out she was pregnant, it came after she took a pregnancy test in the toilets of Selfridges. The mum has spoken further about her pregnancy on Dish from Waitrose podcast with hosts Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett.
Stacey revealed not wanting the letter to be “too gushy” and too “I love you I love you” as she said it was “obvious” that parents are supposed to love kids. She wanted it to be real and true to her own experience as it wasn’t calm and was instead “quite chaotic” having done it in the retailer.
The 38-year-old recalled: “I just picked it up [pregnancy test] cause I had five minutes and she [the chemist] got it and, she was such a sweetheart this woman, she put a bit of Sellotape over the bag so you know people couldn’t see in it.
“I went downstairs, you know it’s roasting down there. So I’m like sat on this toilet, the lady’s knocking cause there’s a big queue you know mid-situation. I sort of instinctively knew, it was more like confirmation.”
Explaining the ‘chaos’ further, she continued: “And then I talk about getting in the back of a black cab and he’s got the hump because I wanna go south of the river.
“He doesn’t wanna go south, he’s kicking off with another cabby. I’m facetime Kev, he’s got a radio mic on because he’s doing an interview so I’m like [whispering] I’m pregnant. Are you happy? I’m happy, I’m really happy.”
As her new book is released, Stacey who now lives on Merseyside with her family, has continued to be open about motherhood. On the Parenting Hell podcast, she reflected on her early days as a mum.
Hosts Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe listened as the documentary maker delved into stories from her personal life. She said: “Can I say something right?
“For me, the sleep deprivation was the hardest part of motherhood. I cannot begin to tell you.”
Stacey continued to reveal that her daughter’s reluctance to sleep through the night persisted well beyond the newborn phase, only seeing improvement after her first birthday.
She added: “The first year, my baby didn’t sleep for one night and I’m not exaggerating. She first slept (through) the night, when she was 14-months-old.”
Since beginning her career in broadcasting back in 2008, Stacey is well-established as one of the most successful names in documentary making.
She has highlighted numerous significant issues through her hard-hitting documentaries such as ‘Young Sex For Sale In Japan’, ‘Stacey Dooley in the USA’ and ‘Beaten By My Boyfriend’.
Her contribution to television was acknowledged in 2018 when she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to broadcasting.