Life

Coleen Rooney says three's 'a nice number'

She's the wife of one of football's biggest stars and is expecting their third child this month. Coleen Rooney tells Gabrielle Fagan about motherhood, bringing up her sons, and date nights with Wayne

Coleen Rooney and husband Wayne at the races
Coleen Rooney and husband Wayne at the races Coleen Rooney and husband Wayne at the races

THE nursery's ready and Coleen Rooney is looking forward to the birth – any day now – of her third baby. She's excited to find out whether she and Wayne will welcome a little girl or boy.

"Everyone keeps asking me which sex I think it is but we honestly don't know. We didn't find out the sex because we wanted it to be a surprise," the 29-year-old says happily. "I didn't know the sex the first time either, the second time I found out, but this time we decided not to because we'll be perfectly happy whichever it is."

She looks glamorous and blooming, and adds: "I don't know why but I've felt really energised with this pregnancy. I've been very lucky with my pregnancies – I've never had sickness or swollen ankles or anything – and I've managed to keep up my fitness. I do a mixture of ballet, yoga and pilates, which I love, and maybe that's helped. Or maybe with two little boys to run around after I haven't had time to feel tired."

She and Manchester United and England captain Wayne (30), voted England's player of the year last week, have been together 13 years, married for six, and already have sons; Kai, six, and two-year-old Klay.

If they have a girl it's unlikely they'll carry on the theme of names beginning with 'K' because so far Coleen hasn't discovered one she likes.

"Will this baby complete the family? I'm not sure," she adds with a laugh. "It's all about having enough time to give to each child, and three kids is a lot. I always wanted a big family and three is a nice number, so I think we'll just see how we get along. Life will be pretty hectic, particularly in the early days."

It's already a busy household with two little boys but Coleen – who grew up in Croxteth, Liverpool, and was a 16-year-old schoolgirl when she started dating Wayne, then 17 – clearly loves every minute of it.

"I love being a mum. One of the best things is hearing the boys laugh and hearing them say, 'I love you Mummy'. I've always been a maternal person and there were a lot of children in my family which I helped look after. So motherhood came pretty naturally to me.

"Wayne is a great dad and very hands-on with the boys, but when we had Kai, things were very new to him," she continues. "He hadn't had a lot of babies in his family so he had to learn a lot, but with Klay he was much more confident, and this time around it will be just natural to him."

She admits that there was one outcome of parenting that neither of them was prepared for – the change in lifestyle. "It was a shock to the system the amount of time you have to give to your children," she confides.

"Before we had kids, whenever Wayne had unexpected time off from training or playing we could be spontaneous, and just take off and go and do something or have a holiday. When you have one child who's now at school, and another little one, you just can't do that."

One permanent arrangement in the calendar is a regular 'date night' however, because they both realise the importance of making time for their relationship.

"I know couples who just have no time for each other, because of all the demands of family life, and that puts a big pressure on your marriage. So once a week we'll go to the cinema or a show and out for dinner, just the two of us," explains Coleen, whose first date with her husband was a trip to the cinema to see an Austin Powers movie.

They most enjoy time away from the spotlight when they're together at home, she says, in Prestbury near Manchester, in their £5 million neo-Georgian mansion set in 20 acres, complete with swimming pool and football pitch.

While football dominates her husband's life, she reveals it's taken time for their eldest son to get the bug and, until recently, Kai preferred golf. "Kai was never interested until about eight months ago, and then all of a sudden he's just gone football mad. He still loves his golf. Funnily enough, Klay's the opposite – he's always loved kicking a ball."

She's delighted that her sons are close. "They absolutely love each other and that's something I really hoped for because I've got two brothers, Joe and Anthony, and to this day, we still do everything together. I've always loved that since we were babies, my brothers and me shared a bond which has continued and it's lovely to see it in my sons already.

"When Kai and Klay get up in the morning, the first thing they ask is where the other one is. Of course, they fight and argue, that's normal, but they do love each other," she says.

While motherhood is her priority, Coleen has also branched out into TV presenting and charity work. "I never set out to have my own role – it just happened, but I'm quite a strong character and I enjoy the stuff I do."

:: Coleen Rooney is the new ambassador for Lamaze toys. Visit www.tomy.com.