Christine Lampard is typically very private when it comes to her personal life – but she has made the rare move of opening up about the blended family she shares with her husband, Frank Lampard.
The Loose Women star – who married the former footballer on 20 December 2015 – is mum to daughter Patricia, four and son Freddie, two, as well as a stepmum to Frank's children from his relationship with Elen Rivas, daughters Luna, 17, and Isla, 15.
Admitting parenting two children under the age of five can be "exhausting", Christine told Women & Home: "Life is always busy, but we all manage somehow, don't we? Mine is 'two children busy'.
"Freddie has just turned two, so he's a whirlwind. The two of them are funny and wonderful and exhausting."
© InstagramDespite motherhood taking a toll on her energy, Christine wouldn't have it any other way. "I think they've zapped every bit of energy from me, but it's worth it," she added.
Christine has a great relationship with her stepdaughters, who she revealed will often come and visit her and their half-siblings at their palatial £10 million London home. "Being part of a blended family is lovely. I don't remember life before it now.
© Getty"When I first met Isla and Luna, they were two and four – now they're 16 and almost 18 and have just taken their GCSEs and A levels. They’ll call us and say, 'We're coming around tonight'. They'll jump on the train and come over."
Christine also spoke about her mental health and despite her happy and relaxed demeanour on screen, she admitted she struggles with anxiety. "I'm not positive all the time. I have flat days like everyone else, but I take the little wins, which is what my mum taught me," she admitted.
© Instagram"She also used to say, 'Your health is your wealth'. We didn't go on flashy holidays abroad like my friends did, but I look back on my early childhood as such a happy time because I was brought up feeling grateful for small things. If the little things are good, so much happiness can come from them."
Christine said that her anxiety traces back to growing up in Newtonwards, Co Down, Northern Ireland, during the Troubles, a term used to describe a period of conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years.
© InstagranShe explained: "I suffered from bad anxiety as a result of growing up during the Troubles. My dad was a musician at a time when people were going into restaurants or bars and shooting around them. I couldn't sleep until I heard Dad's car on the stones outside.
"I still have that feeling at night sometimes, but now it's children-led. Sometimes I have to talk myself down off the ledge."
