A year ago today, Stacey Dooley's world changed for good when she became a mother for the first time. The BBC documentary maker, who found love on Strictly Come Dancing with professional dancer Kevin Clifton, welcomed a daughter, Minnie, on 10 January 2023.
Marking her daughter's first birthday, Stacey, 36, wasn't afraid to share her emotions with her doting fans. Taking to Instagram, the mother-of-one shared an intimate photo breastfeeding her daughter in her first weeks of life, adding the caption: "My GOD I'm feeling SO sentimental this morning," followed by a flurry of crying emojis.
In the photograph, Stacey cradled her newborn to her chest as she nursed her. The photograph was too dark to make out baby Minnie's fiery red hair she shares with her mum, but several other family snaps shared by Stacey show her daughter is every inch her mini me.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOML [love of my life]," Stacey added in the caption.
In another doting post, the former Glow Up presenter penned a heartfelt message in honour of her daughter's big day. It read: "MY BABY IS ONE TMRO [sic]. One?! Minnie, we are FOREVER OBSESSED with you. The love of our lives. My best best little pal. Keep shining showstopper… LOVE U ENDLESSLY."
She added: "Let’s spend your birthday running directly towards every sharp edge in every room. YOUR FAVE PARTY TRICK."
Sharing a glimpse at her daughter's first birthday card, Stacey revealed a hand-stitched crafty card addressed to "Minnie Dooley."
"Minnie Dooley or Minnie Clifton?" asked a fan in the comments, which sparked a debate amongst Stacey's IG followers. "Dooley, Stacey wanted her to have her surname," as another wrote: "Random concept, a child does not have to take the father's name…"
Stacey has been in a relationship with Strictly star Kevin since 2019. While the pair seem happier than ever with their family unit, marriage doesn't appear to be on the cards for the couple.
"Marriage has never been massively important to me," the documentary-maker said in an interview with The Sun. "Also, it's well documented that Kev's done it a couple of times before."
She added: "It's just never been something I've dreamt about. But I couldn't have done this (motherhood) without Kev. It's weird. I've always loved him, but it's a different love I have for Kev now."
Kevin had been married three times before he found love with Stacey. He first wed at the age of 20 to a woman believed to be Anna Melnikova, his former professional Latin dance partner. At 24, he found love again with Clare Craze, his co-star on the international tour of the dance show Burn the Floor.
When he and his second wife "drifted apart," Kevin struck up a romance with his fellow Strictly co-star Karen Hauer, tying the knot in 2015 before they decided to separate.