Rosie Kelly poses with baby Billie for exclusive HELLO! shoot

Exclusive: Rosie Kelly shares vulnerable birth story with unexpected detail

Lorraine Kelly's daughter also shared the sweet meaning behind her baby's name

News Director
October 8, 2024

Lorraine Kelly's daughter Rosie welcomed a beautiful baby girl called Billie Kelly Smith-White in August, and she has opened up for the first time to HELLO! magazine about her birth story and the special meaning behind her daughter's name.

In the exclusive interview, Rosie explained how she planned to have a Caesarean after discovering she was suffering with placenta previa, a condition where the placenta partially or completely covers the cervix, which impedes the ability to have a natural birth.

Rosie is smitten with her bundle of joy Billie

It affects around one in 200 births and had rectified itself by the time Billie was about to be born, but Rosie had mentally prepared herself for a Caesarean, so decided to continue with her original birth plan.

Billie arrived safely, and Rosie was encouraged by partner Steve. Lorraine has also been invaluable to Rosie, who told HELLO!: "She keeps thinking she's an interference but I don't know what I would do without her."

Lorraine is a hands-on grandmother

Both Lorraine and Steve helped by supporting Rosie through her post-partum anxiety, a condition which can affect new mothers mentally in the form of extreme worrying, and also physically when the anxiety manifests itself, for example as dizziness or a racing heart.

"I didn't know it was a thing," the new mum explained. "I would start thinking that someone was going to come and kidnap Steve and the baby or harm them. 

WATCH: Lorraine and Rosie introduce baby Billie

"My midwife really helped me understand what was going on and not to think I was being silly. She would say: 'This is normal, it's going to be okay.' Just having that support was so helpful."

Steve, 30, who has been documenting his own journey as a new dad and is supporting Rosie by doing all of the household and cooking chores, said that he found it really difficult to watch Rosie go through those emotions. 

"There's only so much you can do to support; you can be reassuring and kind but it's one of those things where you are a spare part, so all I can do is help as much as I can."

Rosie and Steve are very proud parents

Rosie also shared the sweet meaning behind Billie's full name: Billie Kelly Smith-White. Both parents liked the name Billie, Kelly is a tribute to Rosie's mum Lorraine, while Billie's surname is a combination of both Steve and Rosie's surnames.

Rosie said: "We wanted to do Smith-White because I'm the last Smith - my dad's siblings didn't have any children and neither did my mum's."

Billie's middle name is a sweet tribute to her grandmother

To read the full exclusive interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK on Monday. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.

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