Gemma Atkinson's loyal social media followers are used to seeing her share an honest glimpse into her workout routines. But her latest post came with a bit of a more personal message and was backed by Strictly Come Dancing star Helen Skelton.
The Hits Radio host took to Instagram on Thursday (November 3) to share a video of her in the gym at her Greater Manchester home which she shares with her Strictly star fiance Gorka Marquez and their three-year-old daughrer Mia. The clip showed Gemma at the end of her latest workout getting stuck into some 'deep' core work.
The 37-year-old could be seen lying on an exercise mat in a black crop top and a pair of black lycra leggings. She appeared focused and in control as she recorded herself doing some bridge moves among others but what she was doing came with a more important thought in mind.
READ MORE: Holly Willoughby 'blown away' over legendary actress' gesture after sharing rare video of son
"I finished todays session with some deep core work, because post partum is for life!" she started her post to her millions of followers. "Now you MUST consult a specialist before any exercise after pregnancy, Esp core work to prevent long term damage down the line or weeing yourself when you sneeze! It doesn’t have to be like that and I wished we normalised more post partum checks as opposed to normalising lady pads!"
She shared how she didn't find the physical side of aftercare after having her first child in July 2019 was 'great' and went looking elsewhere for support. "Now I know how much stress our wonderful NHS is under, constantly," she added "And it was an NHS hospital that saved mine and Mias life so I’m forever in debt to them. It just seemed to me the physical side with after care post pregnancy just wasn’t there."
Gemma has previously shared her birth story and said how she thought she had ‘failed’ at childbirth. She needed an emergency C-section when doctors realised Mia's heart rate had dropped. And Gemma almost died when she lost nearly a litre of blood after suffering a hemorrhage.
Following Mia's birth, Gemma publicly heaped praise on the NHS 'angels' at Royal Bolton Hospital for their care. Gorka, who witnessed his then-girlfriend and the first-time mum in a horrifying state, has previously spoken about seeing Gemma so sick.
Continuing alongside her post, Gemma said that "giving everyone the same plan" after they have given birth "won’t work for everyone." She went on: "The above exercises are what I began doing when Mia was 4 months old. Before then my exercise was just pram walking (usually up to the local costa with my mum for a cake and coffee!) Its important to understand YOUR body. How it functions & operates.
"As Baz Luhrmann once said “Enjoy your body. Use it in every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it. It’s the Greatest instrument you will ever own' [heart emoji]." She ended her post: I hope one day a full Mummy MOT is available on the NHS for all mums. I’m sure it’d save a lot of money down the line in the long run."
Helen, who has three kids with ex-husband Richie Myler, was quick to respond to her new friend's post, writing: "Well said Mrs," alongside a string of kisses. Her followers were also quick to respond in agreement with the Hits Radio host, from Bury, and shared their own stories.
The Manchester Evening News previously spoke to Gemma about her traumatic birth, asking whether it had put her off wanting any more children. "At first it did," the former Emmerdale and Hollyoaks star told us. "I remember saying to Gorka when Mia was a day or so old, ‘I’m not doing this again because I’d be scared to death of it happening again’.
"But I don’t know if it’s nature's way of making you forget but not that I forget what happened but I think for me seeing Mia thrive and how she is, I’d do it all again in a heartbeat to have another little human. I get it when lads say there’s nothing more painful than being kicked in the balls because you’ll never hear another man saying, ‘Fancy kicking me in the balls again?’
But you’ll always get a woman saying, ‘Shall we have another baby?’ And I think that’s because we’re programmed to forget the pain and the reward of having your baby overshadows all of it." She added: "So we definitely we’ll definitely have more babies one day, hopefully."
READ NEXT:
- ITV Corrie star cousins show wild side with gorgeous autumnal looks as they hit red carpet for The Lion King
- Michelle Keegan gets soaked as she runs on Blackpool beach after joking about 'bringing bikini'
- Max George claps back with rude gesture at Ulrika Johnson after she took aim at Strictly girlfriend Maisie Smith
- David Beckham supported by 'proud' family as he launches new television series but Brooklyn stays silent
- Phillip Schofield slams Celebrations' Bounty 'stunt' as ITV This Morning debate descends into Holly-shaped chaos
