Congratulations are in order for DJ and influencer Ashley James and her boyfriend Tom Andrews, who are expecting their first child together in January.
Speaking exclusively to HELLO! from Tom's parents' home in the Dordogne, France, Ashley, 33, admitted: "From the moment I found out, it felt so right."
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Ashley, who was single for six years before falling in love with Tommy, is as surprised as anyone by the turn her life has taken.
"It's been such a 360-degree shift for me," says the star, who has become a champion for single positivity, self-love and body confidence to her almost 300,000 Instagram followers.
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© Photo: HELLO!Ashley and Tommy will welcome their first child in January. Copyright: Matthias Toth
"I've never been that maternal. When friends have been like: 'I want to meet someone, settle down and have children,' I never felt the same. I guess I've been a free spirit."
Tech professional Tommy, 30, is also keeping Ashley in check on the baby-name front. "I like wild hippy names, the kind of names that A-list celebrities call their kids, and everyone's like: 'What?' and Tommy's like: 'I don't think so,'" Ashley says, laughing.
The former Made in Chelsea star, who started dating Tommy in October when they reconnected after meeting ten years earlier at work, found out she was expecting at the start of April. "I just started laughing," says Tommy, when he was told the news. "I was so happy as soon as I found out. No part of me felt scared. I'm over the moon about being a dad."
Ashley also shows off the exquisite Cartier Trinity ring that was a surprise gift from Tommy to "represent the three of us. We're not really interested in marriage or engagement, but it's something to symbolise that we're a family."
© Photo: HELLO!Ashley has been dating Tommy for less than a year. Copyright: Matthias Toth
She also tells how she would love to have been able to share her happy news with her close friend Caroline Flack, with whom she was planning a trip to Mexico before her death this year.
"Caroline and I would always talk about our love life and she was so excited for me that I'd finally met a nice boy," Ashley says. "She'd have been so happy for me. I wish I could have told her my pregnancy news. It sounds weird, but growing life has really helped me with the grieving process. It feels really nice to look forward to a new beginning."
Pick up the new issue of HELLO! out on Monday for the full interview and exclusive photos.
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