Heidi Range and her husband Alex Partakis, who married in a fairytale Italian wedding in September 2016, announced that they were expecting their first baby in 2017. Speaking to HELLO! magazine, the Sugababe singer revealed that she was due in January 2018. "It has been a big year for us," Heidi said. "Our wedding was amazing and then I had hoped I would fall pregnant straight away. But as each month went by I would take a test and I got used to it always being negative. So when it came back positive it was a shock. Alex was asleep and I came running into the bedroom with the stick, saying, 'Is that a cross? Am I pregnant?'
"We moved into our house at Easter after spending two years renovating it and we think that was the same weekend we conceived. It was like it was meant to be. It was so special that it happened in our first family house together. It's made our home have this lovely feeling about it."
The Sugababes singer announced her pregnancy news in HELLO!
The first person Heidi broke the news to was her mum Karen, who happened to be staying with the couple that weekend. "I wanted to be sure before I told her so I made Alex go out to buy another test. I gave him the stick to check this time and he told me we were having a baby. I then went downstairs and put it on the kitchen counter in front of my mum. She started jumping up and down, saying, 'Oh, my baby is having a baby!' About five minutes later we were googling prams and nurseries."
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She added: "My sister Hayley has already bought name books. They are dying to know whether we are having a girl or a boy so they can start buying clothes." As she shared her news, Heidi discovered that her best friend Natalie Daley, who had been a bridesmaid at her wedding, was also expecting a baby and was due the same week as Heidi. "I have known Natalie since we were five and she was one of the first people I told," said Heidi. "I said, 'I've got some news.' And she said, 'Oh my God, so have I! It's amazing we are due the same week. She has been through it before with her son, my godson Joel, so she knows what to expect. It will be nice when we're doing night feeds and can keep each other company on WhatsApp."
The singer welcomed daughter Aurelia in January 2018
While Heidi was happy to disclose her baby news to family and close friends, she was keen to keep it a secret until she'd had her 12-week scan – which was no mean feat as she was a guest in July at TV presenter Zoe Hardman's wedding, which was featured exclusively in HELLO! "Whatever weight I am I always have a flat stomach, but I felt like one of the Teletubbies. I must have looked like I'd eaten too many burgers in my bikini."
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Heidi has designs on the nursery – Peter Rabbit themed if her baby is a boy, and Flower Fairies for a girl. "My Nanny V [Vera] used to read Flower Fairies to me when I was a little girl," she said. "And I was so close to her." She and Alex did not know whether they were having a son or a daughter when they spoke to HELLO!, but have a gender reveal party planned. "Alex had to go back to work after our scan and I want to have a proper moment once we find out, so we asked the doctor to write down the sex and put it in an envelope. We're going to wait until my mum is back from her holiday to find out. I've ordered a cake and blue and pink decorations. I can't wait."
Alex and Heidi married in 2016
Heidi is already embracing her impending motherhood. After downloading a string of parenting apps, she stays awake until midnight so she can read the next update about the size of her baby, who the couple have nicknamed Pip. "I talk to Pip all the time. He or she is the size of a beetroot today," smiles Heidi. "It was so amazing at the scan – seeing this little baby wriggling about but not being able to feel anything yet because they are still so small. I've wanted to be a mum my whole life and I know from friends who have struggled to have children just how lucky we are to be able to go through this. I was watching TV the other night while Alexwas reading a baby book and – I don't know if it was the hormones - I burst out crying and said, 'If our baby is like you, they are going to be so lovely.'
Behind the scenes with Heidi:
"My pug Bettie has been my baby for the past six years and Alex is great with her, so I know he is going to be a hands-on dad. I'm madly in love with Alex. He is so handsome but he is such a gorgeous person, too. He looks after me by cooking my food and making sure I have all the right vitamins. He'S more fearless than me – he loves skiing and has been diving with sharks. I know I'm going to be a worrier as a mum and if they are like him, I'll be pulling my hair out. But I don't want them to be afraid of any of the things I am. At the end of the day, I just want my children to be happy and grow up knowing they are loved and secure and safe, not to be worried about the world and just follow their dreams, whatever they may be. I just can't wait to meet them."