Billie Shepherd

EXCLUSIVE ‘We’d love to be pregnant together!’

Sisters Sam Faiers and Billie Shepherd discuss their joint baby plans and their very different parenting styles

Just four months since the end of the last series of The Mummy Diaries, Sam Faiers and Billie Shepherd are back on screen with another helping of the hit show.

Series seven sees some big changes for Billie and her husband Greg, 34 this week, as they buy a new house, while over at Sam and partner Paul’s, they are tackling potty training Rosie, two. And to throw in a bit of glitz and glamour, viewers will get to see inside Billie’s Great Gatsby-themed 30th birthday bash. The sisters think the show’s success is all down to the fact that nothing is out of bounds. Who remembers when Nelly, five, called Billie out for farting? Cringe!

And the cast list could get even larger if Sam, 29, and Billie get their way, as they’re both planning baby number three.

Here, Billie, who is also mum to Arthur, two, tells us about their family disagreements, while Sam reveals she and Paul, 31, are finally on the same page when it comes to four-year-old Paul’s schooling… Congratulations on the new series. Is filming getting harder now the children are older? Billie: The kids know no different. They’ve pretty much had cameras around them since they were born, but we don’t force them to film. Nelly’s so aware of the cameras. One day she’ll be like, “Film me doing this,” whereas other times she’ll tell me she doesn’t want to film, so I tell her to carry on with what she’s doing and then she comes down wanting to film. Sam: They get to travel and see things they might not normally, but there’s a fine line and we make sure the children always come first. Is there anything you disagree about when filming? Sam: Not really. We’ve kind of given everything [to the cameras], and one of the reasons we’re into our seventh series is because we don’t hide anything. We show the tantrums. In your head you’re thinking, “Please put the cameras down,” but it’s what families go through and we all have the same struggles. What types of things cause arguments between you? Billie: I wouldn’t say we argue, but we’re all opinionated and tell each other our thoughts. Sam: It’s all out of love, though. We’re so close. We’re never going to get on 24/7. It’s usually classic squabbles over something pathetic. Billie: Exactly. Silly things. Me and Greg bicker over nothing. Do Paul and Greg know better than to get involved when you argue with each other? Sam: We wouldn’t get them involved! Billie: We don’t even have to say sorry to each other because we just get over it and move on. How do your parenting styles differ? Sam: We have the same love, but we are quite different. Our households are different. In what way? Billie: My household is quite loud and hectic and Samantha’s is calm and quiet. The four kids are so different we can’t even compare how we handle them. Do you discipline the kids differently? Billie: I can be quite loud, like, “Stop! No!” where as Sam is like [quietly], “Let it go.” Billie, you previously told us you’d like another baby. Is that still the case? Billie: I’d definitely consider another baby, but at the moment it’s probably not the right time because we’ve got a huge project with the new house. Maybe within the next two years. What about you, Sam? Sam: I definitely want more, maybe next year. After having baby Paul, Paul and I said we wanted five kids, but I don’t know about that now. We’ll definitely go for one more and see how we get on. I think four would be my limit. Would you like to be pregnant together? Both: Yeah! How do you feel about Paul starting school in September, Sam? Sam: I’m actually really excited. When the day comes it’s going to be really emotional because …while Sam and Paul’s is “calm and quiet” Greg and Billie’s house is “quite loud and hectic”…

Getting your kids to sleep Sam: I never did the sleepless nights [training] with Paul as I wanted a happy house, whereas with Rosie, she sleeps 7pm to 7am because I got her into a routine from an early age. A sleep routine only takes five nights if you persevere. Billie: We never got Nelly and Paul into a routine, which is why they still sleep with us, but my advice is just do what you have to do to get some sleep. Overcoming mum guilt Billie: We suffer with that. More than anything, kids just want your attention, so sitting with them and colouring, playing with Play-Doh or baking cakes are all little things you can do. Sam: Put down your phone. And if I’m at work one day, I’ll make sure I have something fun planned the next. Compromising with your partner over parenting styles Billie: Greg and I sometimes clash, so what I try to do when we disagree is bite my tongue. If you start arguing in front of them, they know they’ve got you. Sam: You can’t let them play you off against each other. SAM AND BILLIE’S MUMMY TIPS Getting your Sam: I never [training] wit house, where 7pm to 7am b routine from a only takes five Billie: We nev routine, which us, but my ad have to do Overcom Billie: than a your a them with P are all Sam: Put I’m at work on have something

he never went to nursery, but he’s ready to learn and have that routine. He’s just been accepted to this really nice school we both really like. Is big Paul ready for his son to start school? Sam: I think he’s happy. Plus he said he’ll do the school run every day, so happy days! We’re in a good place on the school front at the moment. Have any of the kids done anything, like throw a tantrum, that has stopped filming? Billie: Stop filming? They love it so they carry on filming [laughs]. Sam: I was at a River Island signing and it was really busy when Rosie decided to have a huge meltdown. Everyone was looking at me and how I’d deal with it. I just had to carry on smiling and be like, “Come on, darling.” Do you feel under more pressure to get it right because you’re in the public eye? Billie: I’m not going to lie, you do feel under more pressure. Sam: You just have to smile and get through it. Who is most guilty of spoiling their children? Sam: [Turns to Billie] You. Billie: Really? They all get a lot and they get sent a lot of things, which is hard because it’s not normal for a child to have a new toy every day. We give loads away to charity. Sam: Sometimes they’d rather play with something out of the kitchen cupboard.

KARMEL DOUGHTY