Ola Jordan has opened up about welcoming her beautiful baby daughter Ella, admitting she was overwhelmed with emotion before she went into the operating theatre. Speaking to HELLO! with her husband James Jordan about her C-section, the former Strictly Come Dancing star revealed: "It was so overwhelming I started crying. It was a mix of anticipation and fear of the unknown and a flood of emotions that my baby was finally on her way, after all the years of longing."
WATCH: James and Ola give a tour of their nursery
Baby Ella was delivered by Caesarean section at 9.20am on 27 February, weighing 7lb 9oz. Explaining why she couldn't have a natural birth, Ola shared: "I was told by a hip specialist I'd struggle giving birth naturally because of recurring stress fractures in my hips caused by a lifetime of dancing and dieting." She added: "I wanted to give birth naturally but I had to come to terms with the fact I wasn't able to have a natural labour."
Exclusive: Ola and James Jordan introduce their beautiful daughter to the world
James, meanwhile, felt like he was George Clooney's ER character Dr Doug Ross when they first arrived at the hospital theatre - however, the nerves soon kicked in. "I walked in thinking I was George Clooney in my gown, when my knees buckled and I thought I'd faint," he explained. "The op hadn't even started but they had to grab me a stool. All I heard was Ola joking: 'That's it, James, make it all about you again.'"
The couple took their own photographs due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place
The professional dancers, who have been married since 2003, have had a difficult three-year journey to become parents, which saw them turn to IVF. Opening up about the exact moment they first laid eyes on Ella, James recalled: "It's horrible to watch someone you love go through surgery and you feel so helpless. Every time a machine made a noise I was asking what was going on. I couldn't relax. I'm a control freak so it's hard not to be able to do anything to help. Then came the Lion King moment when they held her up above the screen for us to see her. We burst into tears."
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After Ella's first cry as she was born, Ola said: "As soon as they put her on my chest, she stopped crying and opened her eyes and looked at me. Our bond was there from the first second." New dad James cut the cord, and he confessed: "Weirdly, I didn't feel squeamish." Of fatherhood and holding Ella for the first time, James gushed: "I could stare at her all day. I didn't want to let her go."
To read the full interview, see the latest copy of HELLO!, out now.
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