I’m not ashamed of losing my virginity to a 27-year-old as teen – we need to be more open about sex, says Vogue Williams
LIKE most other parents of new babies, Vogue Williams is talking about sleep – or rather, the lack of it.
Having given birth to her third child, Otto, five months ago, she was up no fewer than seven times last night and is surviving on just a few hours of broken Zzzs.
“He’s lovely all day, very smiley, never whinges and is just such a sweet baby,” she says. “At night, it’s a different story. He is the absolute worst sleeper of the three.
“I do go on about my sleep quite a lot. I need it to not be the only topic of my conversation any more, because I can see people’s faces going: ‘This is so boring.’”
As if the struggle wasn’t already real enough, Vogue also forgot to bring her breast pump along to our shoot and, as any breastfeeding mum will affirm, the discomfort of an unexpected missed feed or pumping session is no laughing matter.
You’d never know all this was going on, of course. Irish model and presenter Vogue, 36, is a cool, calm picture of catwalk perfection and looks completely flawless.
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She and her husband, former Made In Chelsea star turned entrepreneur Spencer Matthews, 34, welcomed Otto into the fold in April, joining Theodore, four, and Gigi, two.
Despite baby Otto’s love of partying through the night, Vogue says that they are all just about managing the transition from two to three children.
“I mean, going from none to one was harder!” she jokes. “The thing is, after three babies, I do know it’s going to pass.
“And Spenny gets up at 6am with Otto, which lets me lie in until seven so I’m not absolutely exhausted for the day.
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“There is so much more organising with three, though. And because I’m still breastfeeding, that makes things a little bit trickier.”
She adds: “I know I’m not working a nine-to-five and I have someone at home who helps me, so I’m in a really lucky position.
“I would love to see more companies and workplaces making it easier for women to take longer maternity leave and to be able to return to work.
“I love being a mum, but I also love my job and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to do both.”
And work has rarely been busier for Vogue. Her debut children’s book, Jump For The Stars, came out earlier this month; her new E4 show Send Nudes: Body SOS has been causing a stir; and over the last couple of years, she has emerged as the queen of podcasting, with two hit shows consistently in and around the top of the pod charts.
A third podcast, Taboo Talk – produced on behalf of Boots – grabbed headlines recently after she spoke on it about losing her virginity when she was 18 to a 27 year old.
Vogue found the attention it attracted bemusing, but says the whole point of the podcast series is to help people become less squeamish about such discussions.
“It’s about normalising conversations exactly like that,” she says. “I’m not one of those people who will go into detail about my sex life, but talking about virginity can help a lot of people, because we shouldn’t be ashamed of these things.
“We did a whole episode on vulvas with Anna Richardson from Naked Attraction – it’s just a part of our body, nothing to be embarrassed about.”
Her first podcast, Spencer & Vogue, which gives a comical insight into the Williams-Matthews marriage, launched in 2020 and Vogue says that recording it each week provides the only bit of quality time they have as a couple at the moment.
“It’s like we’re getting an hour just to be on our own, which is unusual in a house that’s as busy as ours. And especially since I go to bed at eight o’clock most nights, because I’m so shattered at the moment!
“We get to sit down and chat about things we’d never normally get the chance to because we’ve got a million other things going on.
“It’s just so fun to do and great that we’ve got such nice listeners and people are really enjoying us.”
Vogue and Spencer met in early 2017 when they both appeared on Channel 4’s The Jump and they married the following year.
She has said in the past that he was the partner who broke the destructive cycle she was caught in when it came to relationships.
“With Spen, it’s easy. He’s a super-positive person and he has a great way of deflecting and not letting anything really bother him, which has definitely rubbed off on me.”
Spencer was educated at Eton and despite the fact that Vogue enjoys gently mocking him because of it, she says it is on the list of potential schools for Theo and Otto when the time comes.
“I do take the p**s out of Spenny, but Eton’s an amazing school. I’d love to go and see it because it sounds almost like a little village.
“It’s bizarre to me, because we don’t have anything like that in Ireland and I find it fascinating. Even the uniforms they wear are very foreign to me.
“But I don’t mind where my kids want to go to school – and we definitely haven’t ruled out Eton.”
Given the fees for Eton are over £40,000 a year, it’s perhaps just as well that Vogue is so busy.
She says podcasting has taken her quite by surprise, not only because of how much she has fallen in love with it, but also at how successful she’s become at it.
As well as Spencer & Vogue and Taboo Talk, she records a hilarious weekly pod with best friend Joanne McNally.
My Therapist Ghosted Me attracts 2.5 million listeners every month and when a 12-date live residency at Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre sold out within three minutes, they announced extra shows at the city’s 13,000-capacity 3Arena.
“Everywhere I go, I meet people who say they listen to the podcasts – I love that we’ve built up such a nice, solid listenership.”
Her latest foray into TV, presenting E4’s Send Nudes, where people who are considering cosmetic surgery – from penis enlargements to boob reductions – are invited to “try before you buy”, is also proving a success.
Each participant has a life-sized naked avatar created of themselves, which is then altered before their eyes to show how surgery would change their body.
This is done alongside advice from surgeons, who warn of the risks, as well as 50 members of the public offering their views on the before and potential after.
It is at times jaw-dropping TV, but there is often real emotion, too, and despite the shock factor, there is a positive message at its heart.
“I think before people actually watched it, they were ready to jump at me,” says Vogue.
“But actually, the whole concept behind it is a body-positive show. The thing about plastic surgery is that people rush into it thinking it’s going to be the answer to all their problems. So many of the people we had on were like: ‘Hold on… that is not what I want to look like.’
I love that we’ve built up such a nice, solid listenership
Vogue Williams
“A lot of them walked away being really happy with themselves as they were, and I loved that.”
Although she has a figure most women would kill for, Vogue has been on her own journey with body image and says she had an affinity with a lot of the people who appeared on the show.
“I think most people will relate to it in some way. There can’t be many of us who haven’t had hang-ups about something or other.
“I feel a lot more confident than I did when I was in my teenage years and I think we should celebrate the difference in people’s bodies. For me, that has come with age.
“I love training and going to the gym – and I don’t just do it for my body, I do it for my mind as well. When I feel healthy and strong, that makes a huge difference.”
Notoriously honest critics
Proving that Vogue’s work is nothing if not varied is her new kids’ book, Jump For The Stars, which focuses on being active and is beautifully illustrated by Tilia Rand-Bell.
Since kids are notoriously honest critics, was she nervous road-testing the book with her own children?
“My kids are obsessed with books, so I was confident they would enjoy it. Also, there’s a Theo in the book, so how could he not like it?”
She describes both Theo and Gigi as “great craic” and recently said “the door is ajar” to the idea of having a fourth child.
While Vogue admits that she’s not a fan of pregnancy, not least because she has suffered severe sickness throughout each time, she savours the experience of giving birth.
“I love the whole day!” she says. “We’ve been very lucky to have a great doctor and lovely midwives – I’ve had good experiences, for sure.
“I think I’m so ill during the pregnancy, when the time comes to have the baby, the thought of not being sick tomorrow makes it quite an exciting day.”
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But while the door may be “ajar”, the current sleep situation means another baby is probably some way off.
“I’d never say never, but I’m very happy with three,” she says. “I’m definitely on a break!”
- Jump For The Stars by Vogue Williams (£12.99, Catch A Star) is out now.
Fabulous Parenting Club
What has been your funniest parenting moment so far?
Gigi is constantly making me laugh. She’s only just turned two, but her vocabulary is amazing. She takes my phone and just wanders around chatting away.
What’s been your biggest win?
Whenever I get out the door on time – it doesn’t happen regularly!
And the biggest fail?
Well, I got to the shoot today and realised I’d forgotten my breast pump, so that wasn’t great.
Do you have any parenting hacks?
Snacks, snacks, snacks! I always make sure I’ve got plenty on me.
Is there anything you wish you’d known before having kids?
How much my mum did for me. It’s only when you become a mum that you appreciate that.
Who’s your parenting inspo?
My mum. She had three kids on her own for a long time. before she met my stepdad. That is just incredible.