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Tuesday 28 October

Arlene: ‘Having a baby at 47 was a breeze’

Strictly judge Arlene Phillips has told us how she had a baby at 47 – and that being an older mum is easier.

Arlene – who looks years younger than her age of 64 – says she was much more relaxed as a mum when she had her second child Abi, than when she first became a mum to Alana at 35. 

She told us: ‘I did send my first daughter Alana, now 29, to what I thought a very disciplined school, where it was all about work and competition and being the best. 

‘But when I met my partner Angus he believed in having a relaxed education, when I met him Alana was six and by the time she was eight she had moved to a more relaxed school – and I started to relax then.

‘But certainly by the time I had Abi at 47, I was definitely a more relaxed person and took a broader view of both work and life. 

‘I used to worry about being an older mum. From the moment she was born I was dreading was her first day of nursery school. I worried I would turn up at nursery and people would think it is her grandmother. 

‘But actually there were quite a few older mums. Since I got over that I never really thought of it. She keeps me on my toes and there is no worry that I feel this is a hard slog!’

Read the full interview in Reveal, out now