Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Niamh Kirk & Laura Sharman

Woman thrilled to become glam gran at age 37 and gets mistaken for baby's mum

A new grandma told how she was overjoyed to step into the role at the tender age of 37.

Glamorous gran Elizabeth Elliott, now 38, welcomed her granddaughter Elizabeth-Hope into the world last year.

Never thinking she would be a young nan, Elizabeth had her daughter Chloe at a young age and assumed she wouldn't follow in her footsteps.

She even encouraged the 19-year-old to wait to have a baby but said she is thrilled with how she has taken to motherhood.

Elizabeth wasn't even sure if she could be a grandma as her daughter struggled with endometriosis and polycystic ovaries.

So when Chloe did fall pregnant, it was a happy shock to experience.

Elizabeth explained: "Becoming a grandma at 37 was the best thing that ever happened to me.

"It was just a miracle that came out of a bad situation with Chloe being so unwell.

"When she got pregnant, it was a shock but it was a welcomed shock.

"She's still doing her A-levels but she's doing it from home and her baby is now in the midst of it all."

Elizabeth said she "went through some bad times" when Chloe was young so has always encouraged education and being a later parent.

But she now believes that having a baby has been an extremely positive experience for her daughter and said "I think her having a baby saved her life."

She continued: "It's something she's always dreamt of as we were worried it would never happen because of her endometriosis - it was a real blessing.

"She is the best mother to Elizabeth-Hope as she was in bad place before from being so unwell, yet she's taken to it like a duck to water."

People often mistake Elizabeth for the mum when she is out with her granddaughter.

She said: "People are always shocked I'm a grandma. People think I'm the mum, but I point out Chloe is the mum.

"I get told I look too young to be a grandma."

Elizabeth is proud of Chloe and her ways of parenting, even though she reveals it's a stark contrast to how she took to motherhood.

"I think me being a grandma was a shock for people, but no one is negative," she said.

"I think because she's so switched on and dedicated to being the best mum, no one has had any bad feelings.

"Of course, I was worried about Chloe's health and whether she'd be able to be a mum, as she really wasn't well.

"We all thought 'oh my God, this is really happening' after the excitement settled, but Chloe has proved how the whole situation is fantastic."

"Chloe has a completely different mothering style to me and I've learnt so much from her.

"When she got pregnant she had her head in books, reading, and educating herself and becoming a boss mum.

"She said growing up she remembers our house as always being very loud, and now we have a rule that our house is a non-shouting household.

"When my girls were little, as soon as they weren't sleeping through, I used to give them milk rusks to soothe them.

"But Chloe pointed out that her generation have a lot of stomach issues and that's because feeding baby solid foods too early messes with their gut.

"I was so shocked at what she was feeding her but now it all makes sense.

"They have the most amazing bond, and it's all from how much time and effort Chloe has done for her and interacts with her."

Elizabeth said she did not have any guidance when she was young and pregnant as it wasn't widely available.

"I didn't have a midwife, I was just left to it, whereas Chloe had a community nurse who taught her about breast feeding and these life lessons," she said.

"I was 17 when I had Chloe and Chloe was 18 when she had Elizabeth-Hope.

"I am the proudest grandma. She is a fantastic mother. Everything she has done and has been actioning is always what she thinks is right.

"When my kids were young, I wasn't the best mum and Chloe went into care. I had to work hard at being a good mum and especially a single mum.

"It didn't come naturally and I had to work hard at it."

She added: "I don't know why I had any worries about Chloe being a mum as she helped me bring up my younger daughter.

"I worked my fingers to the bone for my kids and Chloe looked after the house and her younger sister.

"We've been parents to my younger daughter together, and now, we're parenting her baby together."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.