After recently celebrating her son Presley’s first birthday, former TOWIE regular Jess Wright is reflecting on her “whirlwind” year of being a mum.
The ex-reality star, 37, who has been incredibly frank about her struggles with postnatal depression following her baby’s arrival, also reveals her plans for a personal documentary to help other women in the same situation.
Summing up the past 12 months, Jess tells OK!, “It’s been such a whirlwind of emotions and just figuring things out. So much love that it hurts. It’s figuring out who you as a person are now, figuring out who your child is, even your relationship with your husband.
“Everything is so new and crazy and scary but equally it’s amazing, exciting and brilliant.”
The highs of parenting have far outweighed the lows, however, with Jess describing “hilarious” and “funny” Presley as “such a little dream, an amazing addition to our life”.
Jess and her businessman husband William Lee-Kemp, 40, recently threw a magical Disney-themed birthday for their little one, joined by their closest family and friends, including Jess’ brother Mark Wright.
It was an occasion to celebrate as the couple haven’t had an easy ride as new parents, as Presley was “really ill” for the first six weeks of his life and suffered with painful reflux and allergies.
Adding to the usual newborn stresses was Jess’ deteriorating mental health, which she knows “100%” was postnatal depression. “I know what depression feels like and it was a form of that,” she tells us. “I was open about it, I came out and told everyone because I wanted to help others.
“I’ve had people reach out about it, and I want to do more because it’s not spoken about enough and it’s something that needs to be addressed. So many women suffer in silence.”
Jess feels so strongly about using her platform and experience for good that she’s considering collaborating on a documentary specifically looking at postnatal depression.
“Knowledge is power,” she says. “This is why I want to do a documentary, I want to know the ins and outs of it. I want to know the hows, the whys, if we can prevent it, if it’s chemical or if it’s environmental. I have so many questions, because for me, the more you know about something when you’re going through it, the more help you can get.”
Since leaving Towie in 2016, Jess has amassed a huge Instagram fanbase, with 1.5 million followers. After having Presley last May, she says she has been flooded with messages from other women relating to her postnatal experiences.
Despite feeling “shame” about her mental health, she’s very open about the low moments.
“Having a baby is the biggest blessing of life, so to then say that you feel down at the time that baby enters the world, it’s not nice,” she admits. “There are people that struggle to have children and also it makes it seem like you’re not happy that you have your baby. But that’s not it, it’s just a general feeling that consumes your body and your mind and you can’t control it.”
Jess explains that she lowered her dose of antidepressants during pregnancy and felt fine, but that changed following Presley’s birth so she spoke to her doctor about upping her prescription. The normal sleepless nights and new parent worries were made worse by Presley’s reflux, which Jess and William discovered were most likely linked to a dairy allergy.
Jess says it “warms my heart” when she receives messages from other mums and dads in response to her. She also wants others to speak out.
“If you’re in the public eye, use your platform to share these stories,” she urges. “I can guarantee there are so many mums who show a perfect Instagram life and never, ever discuss the bad days. But I’m telling you now, that’s all rubbish!”
The Wrights recently added another little one to the clan, with Jess’ brother Josh, 33, welcoming a second baby boy with his wife Hollie in February.
It was a scary time for the family though, with baby Dustin arriving 12 weeks early and spending the first weeks of his life in hospital. Jess heaped praise on her brother and sister-in-law, describing them as “superheroes”.
With everything she’s been through with Presley, Jess says having another baby isn’t on the cards just now but as she’ll turn 38 this year, she knows it’s “something that I have to consider quite soon”. But there’s also the fear that her mental health could worsen again.
“I would be a little bit scared of that but I almost feel like it didn’t kill me and I came out the other side,” she shares.
As well as juggling her new family, Jess is also devoted to her 10-year-old pooch Bella.
So much so, she has released the Bella by Jess Wright range of dog toys and accessories, in honour of her Yorkshire Terrier “bestie”. The collection, which includes collars, leads, toys and dog bowls, has gone down well with Jess’ celebrity mates, including Vicky Pattison, who posted a clip of her two dogs Milo and Max enjoying them.
Jess says it’s taken time for Bella to get used to having baby Presley around. “But you all adjust so it’s OK,” she says.
The Bella by Jess Wright collection is in Poundland stores nationwide.
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