OK Magazine

Perfectly in tune at their London home Carrie and David Grant the ‘Fame Academy’ vocal coaches announce their new baby arrival - and their health fears

Working together as vocal coaches, David and Carrie Grant are a husband and wife who are always undertaking projects. Their latest is the renovation of the home they share with their two children Olivia, ten and Talia, three, but they’ve also just discovered that they’re expecting their third child. The couple, who have trained voices on Fame Academy and Pop Idol, are ecstatic about the news and Olivia and Talia can’t wait for the new arrival, who is due in January.

Here, David, 48 and Carrie, 39, open the doors of their North London home to share the happy news of Carrie’s pregnancy, their health fears and why they’re a little bit like the Von Trapps…

Carrie, you’re showing quite a lot for someone who’s only 15 weeks…
From 4 weeks I was beginning to look quite big. I was exactly the same with our other two children. I’m not someone who just snaps out and snaps back in again.

Was it a planned pregnancy?
C: It’s funny because in the last year or so David and I have been saying that it might be nice to have a third but in this industry you take work when it’s there and as we’ve been so busy it wasn’t a top priority. Then we did Comic relief does Fame Academy, finished filming Facing the music, and went on holiday. When we came back it was quieter so we had some time off and then we found out I was pregnant.

How did you find out?
A couple of people had asked me if I was and I’d said no, but then more people asked me so I started thinking maybe I was. I had a pregnancy test at home and thought I’d try it and it came up positive.
D: And then she hit me! Even though I’d been saying she was pregnant before she took the test, having it confirmed felt fantastic. I don’t think I’d expected how ecstatic I’d be that I was going to be a father again.

There will be a big age gap between your oldest and your youngest, how do you think you’ll cope?
C: I’m 40 next month so I would have had babies in my twenties, thirties and forties - babies in three decades!
D: Talia has decided that because there’s going to be a new baby in the house she’s a baby too, she keeps crawling around declaring ‘I’m a baby!’
C: There’s a six year age gap between Olivia and Talia, and before Talia arrived Olivia used to get so upset because she wanted a little brother or sister so much. I think when Talia finally arrived Olivia thought we’d had her just for her. They both want a girl.
D: They’re so funny. When we say: ‘What do you think about twins?’ They say: ‘Twins? Yuck!’

Do you think it might be twins?
C: The scan shows one and you do occasionally hear of one hiding, but as far as we know it’s only one

So how are you feeling, Carrie?
For the first three months I was really sick - I have crohn’s disease [An intestinal disease]. Normally I’d take pain killers but I can’t and it’s just something I’m going to have to deal with. I’m sure I’ll be fine.

Is Carrie’s health a worry for you, David?
One of my biggest concerns is Carrie’s health. I’d rather have her healthy and have two children rather than risk her being unhealthy and have a third. The way it’s turning out, though, I think it’s going to be all right.

Does this pregnancy feel different to your previous two?
C: I really felt the difference between having babies in my twenties and thirties. I was a lot more tired but so far I haven’t felt any different from my pregnancy four years ago.

How do you think you’ll be as parents third time around?
D: I think having three children in very different age groups is going to be really interesting. Also, we don’t know what sex the baby will be, but they’re going to have very different types of friends. Olivia and Talia are very different from each other and I’m sure this one will be different in a whole new way.
C: I think the more children you have, the more laid back you become. And as I’m older I feel more comfortable and more confident as a parent. People say that as you get older it gets harder physically, but I haven’t felt a difference really. What I’m looking forward to is having a house full of people for a long time.

Are you going to find out the sex?
C: I quite fancy a surprise.

Are you concerned with the health aspects of being a mature mother?
People have been saying that I should get tests for Down’s syndrome and tests for this, that and the other, but I don’t want them. I’m going to have this baby and whatever I have is fine. Having suffered with ill health you always worry that your child is going to be ill, but actually I’m thinking, what’s the worst that can happen? People live with Down’s syndrome and who am I to say that their quality of life isn’t going to be great.
D: Our absolute desire would be to have a healthy child, but boy or girl, healthy or unhealthy, it is going to be loved and wanted and we are really excited.

Have you had any cravings, Carrie?
Yes! Fizzy drinks and ice-lollies, although that could be because of the heat. And I loce spicy food at the moment.

Are you doing anything differently this time around?
I’m normally quite manic but I’ve been taking more time for myself
D: Carrie’s the sort of person who thinks she should always be doing something and if she takes a step back she feels bad. I, on the other hand, have no problem putting my feet up and not feeling a second of guilt!
C: I’ve adopted David’s culture. It’s such a good thing - much healthier.

You’re both very musical - are Olivia and Talia?
C: We’ve tried to discourage it, but they are!
D: They just sit at the piano for hours singing.

It sounds a bit like the Von Trapps…
C: It is a bit actually.
D: What’s funny is that we don’t notice it and it’s only when people come over and comment on it that we realise.

So is it a singing and dancing household?
C: David and I operate an open house where people can come and stay all the time. There’s always food on the go, always something cooking - it’s very Jamaican.
D: When we’re coming home from work we wonder who’ll be there when we get back!
C: We never know. But there’s no point having a big house and no one in it. What’s the fun in that? That’s just status rubbish and we’re not into that.

Are you going to get Richard Park to be godfather?
C: Richard would bore our child to death!
D: I think that Richard would make quite a good godfather. He’s very well-read and up on current affairs. There would be no baby talk or ‘ga-ga-goo-goo’, though, he’d be straight in with historical facts!