Ashley James revealed in Hello! magazine this week that she and her boyfriend Tom Andrews are expecting a baby.
And in a snap from the announcement, she can be seen cradling her baby bump as Tom, 30, adoringly looks at her.
Ashley, 33, glows in an orange sun dress adorned with white flowers for the snap, which teases her hint of a bump.
She wears her blonde locks loosely around her smiling features as she cuddles up to Tom, seen smiling down at her in a shirt and shorts.
The pair were in the South of France for the shoot, which saw them staying with Tom’s parents as lockdown eased.
In May, at the height of the pandemic, Ashley discovred she was expecting a child and penned a ‘love letter’ to her body.
She re-shared it on Instagram on Tuesday, revealing the true reasons she posted it earlier in the year.
Self-love: In May, at the height of the pandemic, Ashley discovred she was expecting a child and penned a ‘love letter’ to her body
She wrote: ‘This was a love letter to my body because I was having a baby and I knew it would never look the same again and I wanted to celebrate it and the journey it goes on over the next few months.
‘Our bodies are amazing, they need to be celebrated not punished!’
In the original post, she praised her body for ‘picking her up from rock bottom, running marathons and surviving sepsis’ in an empowering new post.
The former Made In Chelsea star showcased her incredible figure as she slipped into a red bikini and insisted ‘it really doesn’t matter how the body looks’ as she encouraged her followers to embrace their shapes during the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.
She wrote: ‘This was a love letter to my body because I was having a baby and I knew it would never look the same again and I wanted to celebrate it and the journey it goes on over the next few months’
The star took to social media where she shared a video of herself parading her figure in a bold red two-piece with a scalloped hem.
Ashley looked great as she posed this way and that in the halterneck bikini top and matching string bottoms in a defiant message to her followers.
The clip showed her posing with a pink flower before splashing around in an inflatable paddling pool with a voiceover of Baz Luhrmann’s Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen playing over the top.
Captioning the video, the former Celebrity Big Brother star told her followers that after receiving messages from girls concerned about their weight, she decided to share her own love letter to her body.
Confidence: The former Made In Chelsea star, 33, showcased her incredible figure as she slipped into a red bikini while penning a ‘love letter’ to herself on Instagram over the weekend
The star revealed that by doing so, she hoped that people would worry less about what their figures looked like at the moment and to embrace the body that one has.
In a lengthy caption, she penned: ‘A love letter to my body (sound on). ❤️
‘I’ve had a lot of messages from people, mainly girls, saying they’re struggling with body image or weight gain, especially after so much (unnecessary) attention on Adele’s weight loss. @alexlight_ldn wrote a brilliant caption about it actually – definitely worth a read.
Strong message: The body confidence advocate praised her ‘wonderful body’ and insisted ‘it really doesn’t matter how it looks’ as she encouraged her followers to embrace their shapes
Looking good: The star took to social media where she shared a video of herself parading her figure in a bold red two-piece with a scalloped hem
‘Anyway, I decided to film a little love letter to my body. I was sat listening to Baz Luhrmann’s song, Everybody’s Free (to Wear Sunscreen), and it made me think that despite what our bodies look like right in this very moment, we will look back and wish we’d worried less about how they looked.’
She continued: ‘Some people will see this and wish they had my body, others won’t, but this wonderful body of mine has allowed me to experience and enjoy so many wonderful things in life.’
She then listed several experiences that her body has been through, including running marathons and surviving operations.
She shared: ‘This body has picked me up from rock bottom, ran two marathons, hugged friends and family, swam, been a pillow for Snoop, climbed Patagonia, survived sepsis, seen sharks whilst diving, had two major operations, and who knows what else it might do.
‘So really, it really doesn’t matter how it looks, especially during a global pandemic. Flaws or not, I’m going to look back at at these moments of my life and think I looked fabulous and lived my life. You’ll remember the things you did, the people you loved, the life you lived… Not what size you were.’
Candid: Ashley highlighted all aspects of her figure as she demonstrated that it was OK to love your body, no matter what it looked like
Pose: Ashley looked great as she posed this way and that in the halterneck bikini top and matching string bottoms in a defiant message to her followers.
Fun in the sun: The clip showed her posing with a pink flower before splashing around in an inflatable paddling pool with a voiceover of Baz Luhrmann’s Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen playing over the top
Message: The star revealed that by doing so, she hoped that people would worry less about what their figures looked like at the moment and to embrace the body that one has
The celebrity DJ announced her baby news on her Instagram on Sunday evening, as she shared a snapshot of herself posing with her handsome beau.
Captioning the image, which showed her cradling her baby bump, she wrote: ‘I’m beyond excited / nervous to finally be able to share our incredibly happy news with you all – especially given I’m an open book who HATES keeping secrets.’
She then shared a link to her interview and photoshoot with Hello!, in which she spoke in detail about her happy news, and revealed her due date is January.
During her interview with Hello!, which took place at Tom’s parents’ home in Dordogne, Ashley said of the news: ‘From the moment I found out, it felt so right.’
However, while she’s elated at impending motherhood, the blonde beauty – who was single for six years before meeting Tom – was never particularly maternal.
Baby on board! The celebrity DJ announced her baby news on her Instagram on Sunday evening, as she shared a snapshot of herself posing with her handsome beau.
Happy news: However, while she’s elated at impending motherhood, the blonde beauty – who was single for six years before meeting Tom – was never particularly maternal
‘It’s been such a 360-degree shift for me,’ she told the publication. ‘I’ve never been that maternal. When friends have been like: “I want to meet someone, settle down and have children,” I never felt the same. I guess I’ve been a free spirit.’
While Ashley and tech professional Tom, who began dating in October after first meeting ten years ago, in full celebration mode with their baby news, they may have a dispute to navigate when it comes to naming their offspring.
Ashley, who learned she was pregnant in April, said: ‘I like wild hippy names, the kind of names that A-list celebrities call their kids, and everyone’s like: “What?” and Tommy’s like: “I don’t think so.”‘
Such is the couple’s commitment to one another than Tom has given Ashley a Cartier Trinity ring, although she insists that they’re ‘not interested’ in engagement or marriage, and want the accessory to ‘symbolise’ them and their baby as a family.