I couldn’t imagine feeling normal again’, Strictly’s Fleur East reveals how her baby helped heal her broken heart
FLEUR East might possibly be super-human.
The 36 year old is so full of energy, despite juggling hosting Strictly: It Takes Two, presenting her radio show and looking after her seven-month-old baby.
But Fleur, who gave birth to daughter Nova with husband Marcel Badiane-Robin in March, says appearances can be deceptive.
In reality, her journey to this point has been far from easy.
“The first couple of weeks were the most shocking,” she confesses.
“It was hard to adjust to because it was just like: ‘Wow it’s my baby.
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"She’s crying, I don’t know what I’m doing.’ I remember thinking: ‘What has happened to me?’
"It was motherhood happening to me.
“When I saw my doctor after giving birth, I said: ‘Will I ever feel normal again?’
"I didn’t feel myself at all.
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"Your body goes through so much physically and hormonally. I just couldn’t ever imagine being back to feeling the same again.
“Now I am not who I was, but in the best way.
"I’m different, but I’m loving it. I’m really enjoying this chapter.”
Fleur had an “old-school birth”, delivering Nova at home with Marcel, her mum Irene and her auntie Tina by her side.
“It was a home birth, but it was planned so it wasn’t as dramatic as it sounds.
"I was also booked into the hospital, just in case.
"My auntie is a midwife and she was checking in with me constantly.
“Labour was about seven and a half hours.
"That’s not bad for your first baby, apparently!” she laughs.
“For me, it felt like a lifetime.
"Gas and air was the only thing that got me through.
"I did hypnobirthing before, so focusing on my breathing was really important.
“I always imagined that when I gave birth, I’d cry, just like in the movies.
"But I was more in shock, thinking: ‘How did this human come out of me?’
"I was stunned by the experience.
"But then after a few days, I felt really empowered by it.”
It also made her husband of five years, Marcel, 37, see Fleur in a new light.
“I thought he would be a lot more freaked out than he was,” she admits.
“My body had been changing over nine months so I was prepared for what a rollercoaster it is.
"But for men, you never know how they will react.
“There was a moment where I was like: ’I don’t think I can do this’.
"He said afterwards: ‘I’ve never seen you break like that.’
"It was the first time he’d seen me that vulnerable.
"He felt helpless, but he was actually essential.
'PARENTHOOD IS A JOURNEY'
"When I needed that extra strength to actually bring her into this world, he was the one saying: ‘You can do this.’
"He said: ‘I’ve always respected you, but the level has just gone up times 10. I can’t believe what you’ve done!’”
While many new mums opt to take a year off work, Fleur launched The Kurl Kitchen – the haircare brand she runs with her younger sister Keshia – after just three months, and she was back on the radio after six months.
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So, what did she think about Tory MP Kemi Badenoch’s suggestion that maternity pay was “excessive”?
Fleur shakes her head: “It’s an individual thing.
"Parenthood is a journey that affects everyone in different ways.
"There’s so much you have to deal with mentally.
"I don’t think it’s a one-size-fits-all answer.
"For me, I thought when I was pregnant that I would want longer at home, but actually, I felt ready to go back to work.
“Other people need more time to come to terms with the fact that their life has been turned upside down.
";I think everyone should be open to having as much time as they need.”
Fleur admits her life is not typical, which makes it easier to keep her career going.
“I’m fortunate that I can take Nova everywhere,” she says.
"I was bringing her to photo shoots with me. I didn’t take that for granted.
"Knowing I could do a shoot and breastfeed her in between is a luxury.
"I can’t even imagine what it’s like if you’ve got a nine-to-five and you’re away from your baby all day while trying to breastfeed exclusively.
"Mums have so many challenges.”
It looks like Fleur has mastered many of those challenges, even using a breast pump during our interview, so Nova will have milk ready.
What does she think is the biggest struggle of being a parent?
“There have been many moments where I’ve felt exhausted or overwhelmed,” she says. “It does take a village.
'I'M A 70% MUM'
";My mum, my auntie, my sister, my mother-in-law. . . everyone helped.
"That made a huge difference. It’s like: ‘OK, I can come to terms with this a bit more.’
“You know that saying: ‘You can have it all’? Well, you can have it all, but in different doses.
"So I have days where I’m 100% a great mum because I’m with her and not doing anything else.
"And then, there will be days where I’m working from home and, although I’m with her,
"I can’t dedicate all my time to her, so I’m a 70% mum.
"And there are other days, like today, where I’ve not seen her since this morning.
"But I use the breast pump when I’m away from her so she can still have my milk.
“You can do it all, but you have to sacrifice something. That’s the juggle.
"But, ultimately, everything I’m doing is for her, and that gives me comfort.”
If Fleur ever questions herself, she’s lucky that her It Takes Two co-presenter Janette Manrara, who is mum to Lyra, 14 months old, is always on hand to offer advice.
“We’re constantly swapping stories and sharing tips.
"And because Lyra is older, Janette’s further along in the journey than me, so I’m always asking: ‘OK, what was it like when you first took her to nursery?’ or: ‘What was this like?’
"It’s nice to have someone you work alongside who knows what you’re going through.”
Fortunately, the two mums are both able to bring their kids to work when they are filming.
Fleur says: “We’ve got a little baby room on It Takes Two, so Lyra and Nova met on the first episode of the series. It was beautiful.”
‘I can’t say who I think will win the Glitterball – I’m not allowed favourites!’
Fleur sounds as if she’s having the best time on the BBC’s biggest entertainment show.
“I love working on it, it’s the perfect countdown to Christmas. I’m a huge fan of Strictly.”
So who is she tipping to lift the Glitterball in December?
'I'M NOT ALLOWED FAVOURITES'
“I can’t! I’m not allowed favourites.
"We walk into that studio and it’s all neutral – even those who are my friends, like JB [Gill].
"I’ve worked with him over the years, and his wife Chloe is a really good friend of mine.
"She’s a professional dancer, too, so he’s got two coaches.
"I’ve actually met quite a few of the contestants in the past – I was in the jungle with Nick Knowles, and I know Pete Wicks, too.
"I love Chris McCausland’s ‘battle’ with Craig Revel Horwood!”
And Fleur gets to hang out with her former professional partner Vito Coppola, who she finished second with in 2022.
“He’s like my little brother. He’s Nova’s uncle.
"He was one of the first people to meet her. She was only four weeks old.
"We talk almost every day. Honestly, he is family. I was his first Strictly dance partner and I loved the experience so much.”
Our cover shoot takes place just days after the results of the inquiry into Giovanni Pernice’s treatment of 2023 contestant Amanda Abbington are released.
It brings so much joy to people, and what I love is that the entire family can sit and watch it together
Fleur East
The BBC apologised to the actress and upheld some of her complaints while clearing the Italian dancer of the most serious allegations.
“I think it’s nice that it’s now resolved,” says Fleur. “From what I’ve read, both parties are happy.
"Now we can focus on the magic of the show and its 20th anniversary.
"It brings so much joy to people, and what I love is that the entire family can sit and watch it together.”
Not that Fleur has much time to watch TV.
Most new mums will tell you they get little sleep in those early months.
But Fleur will be getting even less with her early start on her Hits Radio breakfast show.
‘Nova was born the week after the anniversary of my dad’s death’
She says: “I knew I would have to get a routine in place early on for Nova because I couldn’t be waking up three times in the night then going on-air. I’d be shattered.
"We were quite regimented with her sleep.
'A SAVIOUR'
"Thankfully, she’s always been a good sleeper, but I got her to the place where she could sleep independently and wasn’t waking up in the middle of the night as much.
"That’s been a saviour.
“I put her to bed, then I put myself to bed. I am usually asleep by 9pm and up at 4am.
"I get seven hours’ sleep, but it’s not a natural time to wake up. My husband says I have the happy gene – as soon as I’m up,
"I’ve got the energy to get through the day.
“The baby monitor is my life-saver. I get to sit in the radio studio at 6am and I can see when Nova wakes up.
" I always feel like I’m connected to her.”
Nova has been a blessing to Fleur and her family. “I feel like I gave birth to my mum’s child,” Fleur laughs.
“Mum is so protective of her. We have this banter when she comes over.
"She says: ‘Where’s my baby?’ And I’m like: ‘I’m your firstborn!’
"She’s like: ‘Don’t get jealous. Nova’s the priority now.’ She’s loving her grandma era.”
However, it has also focused Fleur’s mind more than ever on her dad Malcolm, who died in 2020.
“It makes me think of Dad all the time. I spoke to someone this week who had just lost their father.
"They said to me: ‘I just can’t think about having a child now, because of the potential of putting them through the pain of losing a parent.’
“But it’s brought me closer to my parents.
Confidence is a lesson my dad really wanted me and my sister to learn
Fleur East
"Becoming a mum has given me a new perspective and I appreciate them even more.
"I’m excited to tell Nova about my dad and show her who he was.
"I have so many videos of him and I’m sure there’ll be parts of her personality I’ll recognise him in.
“I feel like, through her, I’ve healed a bit with grieving Dad, because she was born the week after the anniversary of his death.
"That time was always a bit sad, but now we get to celebrate Nova in that month. I think it happened at the right time.”
Fleur’s looking forward to passing on the things her mum and dad taught her.
“My husband Marcel speaks French to Nova and my mum speaks to her in a Ghanaian language.
"My mother-in-law speaks Wolof [a West African language] to her, and I talk to her in English, so she’s got four languages already being spoken to her.”
What else does she want to pass on to Nova?
“My parents instilled a lot of values in me, such as positivity and going after what you want.
"Confidence is a lesson my dad really wanted me and my sister to learn.
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"So, I feel like now I have a little girl to raise, hopefully, she’ll look at me and think: ‘I want to be like my mum’”
Watch Strictly: It Takes Two, BBC2 daily at 6.30pm and on iPlayer.