Shaughna Phillips is clearly overjoyed to be expecting her first child – although she’s already experiencing some major side effects.
The former Love Island star is 17 weeks pregnant and despite putting on a smile for our cameras during our beautiful bump shoot, her symptoms are in full force.
“I was throwing up in the taxi on the way here,” she tells us. “The poor driver was looking at me like, ‘What should I do?’ I just said, ‘Keep driving!’ I came prepared with a sick bag and I was just holding on to it until I arrived.”
She jokingly adds, “I had crumpets for breakfast this morning – I don’t think I can eat them ever again!”
After a cup of tea and some biscuits, and with the air conditioning on full blast, Shaughna is soon feeling back to herself and she couldn’t be more excited to reveal more about her pregnancy to OK! .
Love Island’s Shaughna Phillips bares bump in stunning pregnancy shoot – see all the pics
“It’s very weird to think that it’s not my little secret anymore and that everyone knows,” she says as she cradles her growing bump.
Shaughna understands that fans may have been shocked to find out she is expecting, especially since she doesn’t share details of her relationship or her partner online. “Even though I often talk about my boyfriend on my Instagram Stories, if you don’t follow me, people may not realise I have one!” she says.
Shaughna has been with her businessman and property developer boyfriend since 2020. We have respected her wishes not to name him or share his photo as he doesn’t want to be in the public eye.
While she admits it’s not the most “convenient time” to fall pregnant – the couple are living at Shaughna’s mum’s house while they wait for their home to be ready – she says it wasn’t an accident.
Shaughna came off the pill earlier this year and fell pregnant two months later. “I felt like I was going to explode with happiness,” she says about the moment she saw the positive test. “ I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience.”
While the couple can’t wait for their late spring arrival, the pregnancy is particularly poignant as Shaughna wishes her father Eddie was here to meet his grandchild. Sadly, Eddie died from cancer in 2016 and the reality star has kept his memory alive by raising money for cancer charities, namely when she appeared on The Real Full Monty On Ice in 2020.
She is also hoping to keep his name alive, explaining if she has a boy, she’d like to name him after his grandfather.
Here, Shaughna opens up about the moment she learned she was pregnant, and why she won’t find out the gender…
Congratulations, Shaughna! How are you feeling?
I’m feeling a bit chunky. But other than that, I’m OK. I’ve found the pregnancy pretty easy so far. I haven’t had that much sickness, even though I was sick on the way to the shoot! Other than that, I’ve just been feeling nauseous and so tired. I’ve been napping for England.
Have you had any cravings?
I was eating everything for the first 12 weeks. I almost turned into a jacket potato because I ate so many. Now, I’m obsessed with fruit. I go through about three or four tangerines a day.
When did you find out that you were pregnant?
I found out on 4 August. I know now I was about six-and-a-half weeks at the time. I’d just come back from Majorca after going for the Love Island final. I felt tired, but I just put it down to being away.
Did you have an inkling you could be pregnant?
No! I had no idea. My only symptom was tiredness. I went for an eyelash appointment and I was falling asleep. The lady said I could be pregnant because she told me tiredness was the only symptom she had when she was pregnant. So I went home and ordered myself some pregnancy tests.
Can you tell us about the moment you took the test?
I was at home with my two French Bulldogs, Bunnie and Biggie. I did the test and the line appeared in about 10 seconds. I thought I’d read it wrong at first. I was convinced I wasn’t pregnant. So I did another one, which was also positive. I then ran to the chemist to get a digital test and that said three-plus weeks, which is the most it goes up to. I had only just come off the pill a few weeks earlier after being on it for over 10 years, so I hadn’t had a period since March. I was a bit naive, but I thought you couldn’t get pregnant unless you’d had another period. When I was trying to work out how pregnant I was, I didn’t have a clue because I hadn’t had a period.
How did you feel?
I felt like I was going to explode – with happiness and shock. I didn’t know what to do. I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience.
Who was the first person you told?
It was my brother, Callum. He was the only person in the house with me at the time. I screamed his name and he came running out thinking there was a burglar in the house or something. I said to him, “I’m pregnant! I have a baby in my belly.” My mum was on holiday in Turkey, so I FaceTimed her immediately and showed her the positive pregnancy test. At first she thought it was my dog Bunnie who was pregnant! I was like, “No, it’s me!” She started crying straight away and she cried for about four days. She’s so excited and I can’t wait to see her with my baby.
How did you tell your partner?
He was working so I rang him and I was like, “Are you on your own?” He was like, “Yeah…” I said, “I’m pregnant,” and he was like, “OK, alright then.” I think it took him a minute for it to sink it. It was just a complete shock for both of us.
How is he feeling now?
He can’t wait. He has a nephew and he’s so good with him. We keep telling our dogs they’re going to be a big brother and sister. The dogs have given us a good taste of parenthood as we’re always cleaning up after them.
Were you actively trying for a baby?
I came off the pill because we’d had the conversation about having children. I said, “I don’t really want kids before I’m 30 but I want to be off it and I want to let my body adjust.” But I got pregnant two months after I came off. I was so shocked. It wasn’t an accident, but it definitely came out of the blue because it happened a lot quicker than I was expecting. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the most convenient time. We’re living at my mum’s and we’re building a house pretty much from scratch, but is there ever a right time?
When do you plan to move out?
We bought it earlier this year but it needs so much work so we’re hoping to be in the house by next year. If it was just us two, we could probably move in and just rough it. But because we’ve got two dogs and now a baby on the way, it’s not doable. So we’re living in my mum’s garden in a summerhouse.
Your partner isn’t in the public eye and you’ve never shared him on social media. What’s the reason behind that?
It’s not my decision. If I could share him, I would. He just doesn’t want to be in the public eye. I have to respect his wishes. Never say never. I’m sure one day he will be out there because he’s such a big part of my life. But for now, he’s OK sitting in the background.
How long have you been together?
I’ve known him for years. We knew each other as teenagers and we were in the same circles. But we’ve both had partners and it’s never really been the right time. We were friends beforehand and then we got together romantically around summer 2020. It was around the time things started to open again after lockdown and we could mingle. And then we went back into multiple lockdowns and he moved into my flat. So we kind of fast-tracked.
Is marriage on the cards?
I actually said to him the other day, “I’m so glad that you have to marry me now that we’re having a baby.” But yeah, definitely.
I feel like a baby is way more of a commitment, though. I always used to think, “We need to get married,” but now we’ve bought a house and we know how much stuff costs, I’m like, “Take me to the registry office and get me a ring from Argos!”
Where do you stand on sharing your baby on social media?
I don’t plan on not sharing them. Whether or not that changes once the baby is here and I feel very protective, I don’t know.
Has your partner been looking after you during the pregnancy?
I feel like he only realises I’m pregnant when we’re at scans, and then when we leave, I’m like, “Do you want to open the door for me?!” But one thing I have got out of is picking the dog poo up. I always say I can’t do it because I’m pregnant!
What was it like seeing your baby for the first time on the scan?
I was constantly smiling. I didn’t want to take my eyes off the screen because I didn’t want to waste any minute. I must admit, at the moment, I feel a bit like I’m acting. I feel like I’m talking about someone else, it’s a weird experience. I think it will start to feel more real when I start to feel the baby moving.
Will you find out the gender?
I’m not going to find out the sex of the baby purely for logistical reasons. Because we’re currently living at my mum’s, I don’t have room for anything. I just know that I’d go nuts buying everything in pink or blue.
Do you have a preference?
We both want a little girl, so I’m trying to manifest it. If I do have a boy and he reads this in a few years, I’m really sorry! But I do want a girl.
Have you bought anything yet?
I’ve bought some white clothes. That’s the only time I wish I had found out the gender, when we go shopping for clothes.
Have you thought of names?
I have two names. If it’s a boy, I’m going to name him after his dad. I’m also going to give him my dad’s middle name, which is Edward, but people called him Eddie. And I have my name for a girl – I’m keeping it a secret because I don’t want anyone to steal it!
Do you like traditional or quirky names?
I like a bit of both. I’ve also been cursed with no one being able to spell or say my name. Initially I really liked Irish names, but then I was like, “Do I really want to give my child the same life I’ve had where no one knows how to say my name?” I’m hoping that when I see the baby, I’ll know.
Have you thought about the birth?
I haven’t thought about it at all yet. I find it such a blessing being pregnant, so I’ll just be relieved when I get there. I don’t want to hear anyone else’s birth stories – ignorance is bliss. I’m going in and whatever happens, happens. Everyone’s births are different.
Have you got a birth plan?
No. I don’t want to be set on anything because anything can happen. I just want the baby out in the safest way possible. All I know is that I don’t want an epidural because I’m scared of needles. Although, I think when I’m giving birth to a human, needles will
be the least of my worries!
What changes have you noticed to your body so far?
I haven’t been exercising at all, so I’ve definitely noticed changes from that. As I said, I was eating everything in the first 12 weeks so I definitely put weight on. But now, I’ve lost my appetite a bit. So I think I’ve evened out. I’m out of breath constantly – I feel out of breath even going to clean my teeth! I would like to be more active, but I’m just taking it in my stride. I used to go to my personal trainer four times a week, but these are the nine months of my life that I can have an excuse to do what I want! I lost about a stone before I found out I was pregnant through diet and exercise, but I’ve definitely put it on now. I don’t want to say I’m struggling,
I’m not struggling, but I can’t wait to start exercising again. I don’t feel sexy or confident at all. I’m not glowing. I thought I was going to be this glowing pregnant woman, and I’m not. I’m just sweating!
Is becoming a mum something you’ve always dreamed of?
I always pictured kids in my future. But I did start worrying, thinking, “When will I want them?” because I didn’t feel like I did want them. I started thinking, “Time is ticking. I’m 28 – I’m not getting any younger.” One of my managers, who is also one of my really close friends, recently told me she was pregnant and I got a little bit jealous. I thought, “I want that feeling as well.” It was only then that I started to feel that way. That’s when I came off the pill. I wasn’t being careful because I knew that if it happened, I was OK with it.
Do you ever see yourself having a big family?
Me and my partner have spoken about having a big family. He says he wants four kids. But I’m like, “Hold on, I’m still being sick with the first one!” But ask me after I’ve given birth and I’ll let you know how big I want the family!
Did you tell any of your Love Island friends about the pregnancy?
I told Paige Turley about 20 minutes after I found out. She refers to the baby as “Baby Turley”. Demi Jones knows too, she cried when I told her. This is the first Love Island baby of our series.
Molly-Mae Hague and Amy Hart are also pregnant. Will you be speaking to them for advice?
I don’t know Molly but I do know Amy and I think it’s so exciting. We’re going to have a little five-a-side Love Island team.
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