Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Natalie Lowe has said that she is being kind to herself and her body after welcoming her first child.
The Australian dancer, who said she has put her body “through so much over the years”, had son Jack on December 7 with husband James Knibbs.
Lowe, 39, was originally due to give birth on the date of the Strictly final, December 14, but doctors advised that she undergo a Caesarean section a week earlier.
She told Hello! magazine: “It was a lovely and relaxed experience. I wasn’t expecting it to be what it was.
“We had my wedding playlist including The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. It was what I walked down the aisle to.
“Then, at the very moment Jack was born, the surgeon lifted him up and we had Ah Zabenya, the track from The Lion King, which we love.”
Lowe, who has previously talked about having a “long and difficult journey” to having a child, said that they were surprised when they learned they were having a boy after previously being told during an early scan that they were having a girl.
“It was a surprise at the time but we were just so happy to be having a baby,” she said.
“My time now is to be a healthy mum and a great parent to Jack.
“Creating a human being for nine months is an incredible thing. You have to be kind to yourself, and not expect your body to go, snap, straight back to what it was before.
“I have put my body through so much over the years.”
Knibbs praised Lowe: “I didn’t believe I could ever think Natalie was any more amazing, but seeing her with Jack and how she is as a mum adds a whole new depth of love.”
Lowe said that she has already starting to dance with her baby, and that she has “taught him the waltz”.
“He loves it when I dance with him. He is so easy to soothe,” she added.
Lowe joined Strictly in 2009 until she retired from the show in 2016, partnering with the likes of Ricky Whittle, Ainsley Harriott and Greg Rutherford during her time on the dance floor.
Hello! magazine is out now.