Gemma Atkinson reveals pregnancy fears that have forced her to pay for private care
GEMMA Atkinson has revealed that she's decided to pay for a private midwife amid the NHS crisis.
The former Hollyoaks star - who is expecting her second baby with fiancé Gorka Marquez - have chosen a private midwife service to "oversee" the pregnancy this time.
Gemma, 38, praised the NHS staff and said they should be paid a "hell of a lot more".
"I love our NHS but I know how stretched they are and with the strikes still happening I felt uneasy at the thought of history repeating itself with my pregnancy and not enough staff to help," she told fans.
Although she'll be hiring a private midwife, the Strictly star said her baby boy will be born in an NHS hospital.
She continued: "By the way I fully support their reasons for striking and they should absolutely be paid a hell of a lot more for that they do!
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"Our baby will be born at an NHS hospital but my pre and post care will be done by Rach."
The actress - who welcomed her daughter Mia in 2019, said her previous child birth experience made her more inclined to get extra support this time round.
"Last time I was told Mia was going to be a big baby and she was absolutely tiny so this time I felt I need and wanted monitoring more closely," Gemma explained.
"I'll be having a lot more scans this time keeping a close eye on baby's size.
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"So far everything for baby and me results wise are spot on and as expected. Today we discussed birth options and locations. Rach will be with me in labour which already is a comfort.
"Any expectant mum will know the worry is always at the back of your mind, from the minute you find out your wonderful news."
Last week Gemma gave fans a huge clue as to what she may be naming her second baby - and its adorable.
She took to social media and hinted at her chosen name - Theo.
Gemma responded to a fan question about if she had picked a name yet. To which Gemma said: "Not yet but it will deffo be Spanish. 'Mia' means 'mine' in Spanish and if this one was a girl it was going to be 'Vida', as that means 'life'.
She added: "Obv together they'd be 'my life' but boys names are harder. Its the pronunciation, for example Theo in Spain is pronounced Tao, so it can complicated."
Gemma, 38, who is already mum to Mia, three, announced she was pregnant with her second child earlier this month and judging by the big reveal post, her partner Gorka Marquez is over the moon too.
The couple, who met on Strictly in 2017, recently revealed that they actually became an item after the BBC dancing show ended, not during despite speculation.
And the pair have been going from strength to strength. Gemma posted a black and white picture of her bump. And Gemma wrote: "Impossible to hide my belly any longer. I’ve officially 'popped'.”
She added: "Our baby boy will be joining our family later this year. We feel so incredibly blessed and grateful to be on this journey again."
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She went on to say: "Mia is absolutely thrilled! Although we may need to do some negotiating on names, as so far she’s adamant he’s going to be called Barbie."
And it looks as though Gemma is the gift that keeps on giving as she also hinted that her baby could be due in June.
