Latest news with #MadeleineWest
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Neighbours star Madeleine West reveals she feels like a 'smashed vase' as she details life with newborn after welcoming seventh child at age 47
Madeleine West welcomed her seventh child last month. The 47-year-old is adjusting to life with a newborn, telling The Sunday Project this weekend that while she is looking well on the outside, it's a different story behind the scenes. 'It's all smoke and mirrors. I'm just a smashed vase that someone has wrapped up with gaffa tape' she joked. 'Don't put flowers and water in me as it will leak straight back out.' The Neighbours actress continued: 'I'm on auto pilot. I'm deep in the delirium. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'At 3am I got up for a glass of water and decided it was time to scrub out the fish tank and bake a cake, which is what I did.' Madeleine was on the show to promote her partnership with the Federal Police, which has seen her produce It's Never Too Early, a guide book to keeping kids safe. 'This is so personal for me. It's things that I think most parents would never have considered. Asking yourself really simple but ultimately important questions, like, who will I allow to change my baby's nappy?' she explained. 'If I'm letting someone babysit, who else will have access to that child? Perfect example. If you let a good friend babysit, are they dating someone you don't know well? If he comes over to visit, they get up to answer the phone, am I comfortable with that person having unsupervised time with my child? 'If I look at babysitting, will there be other children in the house who have access to my child? If I'm looking at daycare centres, how can I find one that's government endorsed where everyone's been certified so I know my child is safe? 'Questions that when we're in the thick of early parenting, and we're exhausted, and on the cusp of delirium, it is hard to know the day of the week, let alone important decisions of how to best secure safety.' Madeleine announced the arrival of her seventh child in April, sharing a glimpse at her newborn in an Instagram post and revealing the bub was in excellent health. Alongside a truncated image of the child, she star wrote: 'Earthside at last… and utterly perfect'. The Australian actress did not reveal the sex or name of her new arrival at the time. It comes after Madeleine opened up about her seventh pregnancy at the age of 47. The star already shares five daughters and one son with her ex-partner, celebrity chef Shannon Bennett. In a preview for an interview on 60 Minutes, West said she is not letting naysayers get to her and is determined to keep 'dancing to the beat of my own drum'. She said many people were shocked to learn she was pregnant with yet another child at her age, but she was also 'surprised' by the sheer amount of support she received. 'There was a lot of shock, naturally. And then, "Are you sure? You're at this point in your life. Your career is blossoming. You've got all these kids,"' West told host Tara Brown. 'But I am surprised by so many people who have reached out saying, "I've done what you're doing and I felt so alone. I felt like everyone would see me at the playground and they would think I'm grandma."' When asked if she had ever been called a 'grandma at the playground', the actress responded: 'Oh yeah, naturally. But my argument has always been I've always danced to the beat of my own drum. 'I've always done things a little bit different. A little bit outside the norm.' West revealed the response she received from her friends after she announced her pregnancy in January. The TV star—who shares Phoenix, 19, Hendrix, 16, Xascha, 14, Xanthe, 12, and twins Xalia and Margaux, 10, with Shannon, 49 - said her pals' initial reaction to her pregnancy news was surprise. 'When I first reached out to my circle and revealed the big news, there was certainly a look. A bit of a stunned mullet, I would say,' she shared. However, she added the shocked expression was soon followed by 'wow' as her friends asked if she was going to 'keep' the baby. The controversial question also opened up a conversation about 'geriatric pregnancies' and the risks which come with them, which she expanded on in her interview with Stellar Magazine. 'I strive to not see motherhood as a limitation on my capacities,' she told the publication, but rather something that 'adds to it exponentially'. She went on to say while falling pregnant certainly wasn't something she was expecting, it was a welcome surprise nonetheless. 'I feel like this little person has come along at the best possible time when I'm so very ready,' she said. West went on to say she now has 'more time, wisdom and experience' when it comes to parenting. Reflecting on what is often coined as a 'geriatric pregnancy' she expressed her frustration with the world's lack of conversations around later pregnancy. West said it's not something 'society discusses at large' despite 'the very real fact that the rate of women having babies in their 40s is increasing'. Back in January, West announced she was pregnant with her seventh child a decade on from her most recent birth. She revealed the surprising news in an Instagram post. In the photo, she flaunted her growing baby bump in a tight-fitting tank top which was lifted to reveal her bare tummy. 'WHOOPS!' she captioned her post. 'Thought it was #perimenopause. I thought WRONG! It's not too much Christmas pudding either. I couldn't be happier.'
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Madeleine West details the 'traumatic' birth of her seventh child at the age of 47: 'I've never felt pain on that scale'
Madeleine West has shared candid details about the 'traumatic' birth of her seventh child. The 47-year-old former Neighbours actress penned a column for this week's Stellar magazine, explaining how she 'felt her C-section'. 'My baby's birth was capital T traumatic. I still choke up talking about it. But talk we must, because when things go pear-shaped... we don't do ourselves any favours,' she wrote. Madeleine, who gave birth last month, said she refused to be put under anaesthetic as she underwent a Caesarean section because she wanted to be 'present for my baby's first breath.' 'Suffice to say I've never felt pain on that scale... between passing out, gritting my teeth, and dropping the odd F-bomb, I did my best to make it appear tolerable to avoid sedation,' she continued. 'Immediately my body went into shock. Organs started to fail, and I swelled to Michelin Man proportions with extreme oedema.' 'But my mind proved hardest to wrangle. It replayed the sensations on an endless loop, and tries to still, striving to make sense of the incomprehensible.' Madeleine said she delivered a health baby but this was 'tarnished by pain and an utter loss of control.' It comes after Madeleine shared a touching tribute to her seven children on Mother's Day. The former Neighbours actress posted a throwback Christmas picture of herself posing with her six eldest kids to Instagram on Sunday. A smiling Madeleine can be seen sitting alongside Santa as she hugged one of her children. The actress used a smiley emoji to obscure the identity of each of her kids in the picture in order to protect their privacy. The TV star—who shares Phoenix, 19, Hendrix, 16, Xascha, 14, Xanthe, 12, and twins Xalia and Margaux, 10, her ex partner Shannon Bennett added a lengthy message to her children including her newborn in the post. 'My magnum opus SEVEN times over!' she began. 'My crazy, cantankerous, curious, clever, chaos of children (collective noun trademarked!) 'Thank you. The woman I've become, as your mum, is the best version of myself I could ever wish to be.... 'Thank you for your trust when you reach out for me. Thank you for your forgiveness when I don't have all the answers. Thank you for the love in your eyes when you call my name,' Madeleine said. 'I don't always get it right, but thank you for your patience as I try to do my best. 'The journey has not been easy, what journey ever is? 'It is an honour to bear witness to your trials and tribulations every day, and to witness the incredible people you are and contribute to become,' she continued. 'Please know I love you, now and forever, more than words can say. 'Who knew the human heart could hold so much? And who knew that love could continue to grow, expand and flourish. 'I'm so blessed to be a Mother of Many (even if you lot are a lot harder to train than dragons). 'My babies always and forever. Just call, I'm always here.'
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Madeleine West shares a heartwarming tribute to her children on Mother's Day after welcoming her seventh child at the age of 47
Madeleine West has shared a touching tribute to her seven children on Mother's Day. The 47-year-old former Neighbours actress posted a throwback Christmas picture of herself posing with her six eldest kids to Instagram on Sunday. A smiling Madeleine can be seen sitting alongside Santa as she hugged one of her children. The actress, who welcomed her seventh child only last month, used a smiley emoji to obscure the identity of each of her kids in the picture in order to protect their privacy. The TV star—who shares Phoenix, 19, Hendrix, 16, Xascha, 14, Xanthe, 12, and twins Xalia and Margaux, 10, her ex partner Shannon Bennett added a lengthy message to her children including her newborn in the post. 'My magnum opus SEVEN times over!' she began. 'My crazy, cantankerous, curious, clever, chaos of children (collective noun trademarked!) 'Thank you. The woman I've become, as your mum, is the best version of myself I could ever wish to be.... 'Thank you for your trust when you reach out for me. Thank you for your forgiveness when I don't have all the answers. Thank you for the love in your eyes when you call my name,' Madeleine said. 'I don't always get it right, but thank you for your patience as I try to do my best. 'The journey has not been easy, what journey ever is? 'It is an honour to bear witness to your trials and tribulations every day, and to witness the incredible people you are and contribute to become,' she continued. 'Please know I love you, now and forever, more than words can say. 'Who knew the human heart could hold so much? And who knew that love could continue to grow, expand and flourish. 'I'm so blessed to be a Mother of Many (even if you lot are a lot harder to train than dragons). 'My babies always and forever. Just call, I'm always here.' Madeleine singed the message 'Mama' and included a read love heart emoji. It comes after the actress welcomed her seventh child and shared a glimpse on her newborn in an Instagram post in April. Alongside a truncated image of the child, the Neighbours star wrote: 'Earthside at last… and utterly perfect'. She did not reveal the sex or name of her new arrival at the time. Madeleine revealed the response she received from her friends after she announced her pregnancy in January. 'When I first reached out to my circle and revealed the big news, there was certainly a look. A bit of a stunned mullet, I would say,' she shared. However, she added the shocked expression was soon followed by 'wow' as her friends asked if she was going to 'keep' the baby. The controversial question also opened up a conversation about 'geriatric pregnancies' and the risks which come with them, which she expanded on in her interview with Stellar Magazine. 'I strive to not see motherhood as a limitation on my capacities,' she told the publication, but rather something that 'adds to it exponentially'. She went on to say while falling pregnant certainly wasn't something she was expecting, it was a welcome surprise nonetheless. 'I feel like this little person has come along at the best possible time when I'm so very ready,' she said. Madeleine went on to say she now has 'more time, wisdom and experience' when it comes to parenting.
Daily Telegraph
11-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Telegraph
Madeleine West details traumatic birth of seventh baby at 47
Don't miss out on the headlines from Celebrity Life. Followed categories will be added to My News. Can we have a little chat about birth trauma? Might not be everyone's cup of tea, but given everyone here either came from a womb or has one, it's far from irrelevant. And it's the last thing expectant parents consider when the big day – birth day – arrives. They wade into the trenches, ideal birth plan clutched to their chest, whale songs and Enya on Spotify, and a bag of barley sugars, incense and hope slung over one shoulder. My most recent birth plan was pretty matter-of-fact. Baby number seven, this was by design a no-frills affair. I'm not jaded, but I've come to respect that birth rarely goes to plan. Babies play by their own rules and our only job is getting them safely earthside. But this time, everything slid sideways in the most unexpected fashion. 'I've never felt pain on that scale.' Madeleine West has opened up about giving birth to her seventh child, in an exclusive column for Stellar. Picture: Christopher Ferguson for Stellar My baby's birth was capital T traumatic. I still choke up talking about it. But talk we must, because when things go pear-shaped – like so many scarring events we experience in life – by pretending it didn't happen, or downplaying it, we don't do ourselves any favours. Like many, I underwent a Caesarean section. Not because I'm 'too posh to push', rather because I have what my nan referred to as snake hips, and I'm too wise this late in the game to run any risks experimenting with alternatives. Yet this time the routine epidural didn't land right. As a consequence, I felt the procedure. Once a Caesar is underway, it's too late to sit a patient up and start over. The only option was to be knocked out, and I refused. I had to be present for my baby's first breath. No-one is to blame. These things do happen. I made my choice. Listen to a new episode of Something To Talk About featuring Candice Warner below: I'll spare you the gory details, but suffice to say I've never felt pain on that scale – which is saying something from someone who has been hit in the head by a bus. Between passing out, gritting my teeth, and dropping the odd F-bomb, I did my best to make it appear tolerable to avoid sedation. Immediately my body went into shock. Organs started to fail, and I swelled to Michelin Man proportions with extreme oedema. But my mind proved hardest to wrangle. It replayed the sensations on an endless loop, and tries to still, striving to make sense of the incomprehensible. I felt guilty. Had I somehow prompted this to happen? Did I exercise too much? Did I eat something wrong? Was it because I dared to proceed despite my 'geriatric' age? Pointless musings I know, but so was my mind screaming: 'this isn't supposed to happen!' I delivered a healthy, gorgeous bub, but my little one's arrival was tarnished by pain and an utter loss of control. 'I do believe as women and mums-to-be we are sold a myth as to how birth should be.' Picture: Christopher Ferguson for Stellar I do believe as women and mums-to-be we are sold a myth as to how birth 'should' be, thanks to the tsunami of maternity inspo clogging up our social media feeds and unrealistic, almost erotic representations of birth on our screens. As a result, if we don't achieve calm birth perfection, complete with unicorns and stardust beneath a full moon, we are left feeling we have somehow failed. But sometimes birthing goes wrong. More often than not it will deviate from your plan, and some of us come out on the other side and promptly chuck the whale song soundtrack, the 'calm birth' guide and any illusions about what constitutes a perfect birth in the bin. What lingers is the shame. And that lasts longer than scars and cracked nipples. If you achieved the perfect water birth, a seamless transition to breastfeeding, your bub sleeping through the night by six weeks old, and sliding back into your skinny jeans after three months – then go you! Amazing. But if you didn't, does than make your experience of birth or early motherhood any less valid? All too often we mums feel it does. Hence we avoid the topic, confess our experience with eyes downcast, or pretend it was different to how it actually played out. Is it any wonder post-natal depression is such an issue? I'm an old fart now and it's not my first rodeo, but in my opinion birth trauma is not discussed nearly enough. So many of us are carrying around scars both physical and psychological precisely because we never took the time to treat the wound. When the prevailing advice from our nearest and dearest is 'she'll be right', it's hard to open up about how we really feel. Also, when sharing your story is met with overblown rhetoric like: 'I was shearing the sheep when my waters broke, but I kept at it, went home to whip up a roast, slapped on some lippy and delivered in the bathtub.' Urban legends never reassure anyone, they just add to the sense of failure. Bringing babies into the world is not a competitive sport. No one does it best, we just do it, as we have since the dawn of mankind. I hope more of us can learn to own our unique experience with pride. No matter what the outcome or how far it veered off our desired course, the act of giving birth is still one of the riskiest, most arduous, thrilling and indescribable undertakings the human body will ever endure. What a miracle to play our part in the timeless cycle of ushering in new life. Why judge a journey by the means we got there, when all that matters is that we arrive? Why am I speaking out? Because sharing my story hurts a little less every time I do. I'll never say, 'I wouldn't change a thing.' But when I step back and see the whole picture – a dramatic final act in an otherwise uneventful pregnancy – I choose instead to be grateful. As my organs heal, the swelling subsides, and the physical pain fades, I remind myself what it brought me: my beautiful little one, sleeping peacefully in my arms as I type. And that I wouldn't miss for the world. For more from Stellar and the podcast, Something To Talk About, click here. Find the latest issue of Stellar inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA).
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Why fans were left 'teary' when celebrity chef Shannon Bennett made a surprise appearance on MasterChef Australia
Celebrity chef Shannon Bennett made his long-awaited return to MasterChef Australia on Wednesday night and it was an emotional experience for viewers. The Melbourne-born culinary expert, 49, appeared on the popular Channel Ten cooking series for the first time since 2023 to help contestants prepare a pea purée. 'Just a little bit of cooking. Show you a couple of things!' Shannon said as he took them through the steps to prepare the dish. His top-notch culinary skills left the contestants in awe, with Callum Hann remarking: 'I'm loving watching Shannon cook! Every time you watch one of these guru chefs, you always learn something.' Emotional fans took to social media to share their excitement at seeing Shannon in the kitchen. 'I was so teary seeing him back in the studio. He is a hero and in my mind should have been one of the new judges last year,' one person wrote. The Melbourne-born culinary expert appeared on the popular Channel Ten cooking series for the first time since 2023 to help contestants prepare a pea purée 'He has all the skills and is empathetic. Hopefully he will be a judge one day if that is what he wants.' 'You learn from the legend,' a second person added and a third wrote. 'He made it look easy.' Last month, Shannon's ex-partner Madeleine West welcomed her seventh child - her first that he is not the father to. The 47-year-old shared a glimpse at her newborn in an Instagram post, revealing the child was in excellent health. Alongside a truncated image of the child, the Neighbours star wrote: 'Earthside at last… and utterly perfect'. The Australian actress did not reveal the sex or name of her new arrival at the time, nor has she revealed the father's identity. Madeleine recently opened up about her seventh pregnancy at the age of 47. The star already shares five daughters and one son with Shannon, who she was in a relationship with from 2005 - 2018. In an interview with 60 Minutes, she said she was not letting naysayers get to her and is determined to keep 'dancing to the beat of my own drum'. She said many people were shocked to learn she was pregnant with yet another child at her age, but she was also 'surprised' by the sheer amount of support she received. 'There was a lot of shock, naturally. And then, "Are you sure? You're at this point in your life. Your career is blossoming. You've got all these kids",' she told host Tara Brown. 'But I am surprised by so many people who have reached out saying, "I've done what you're doing and I felt so alone. I felt like everyone would see me at the playground and they would think I'm grandma".' When asked if she had ever been called a 'grandma at the playground', the actress responded: 'Oh yeah, naturally. But my argument has always been I've always danced to the beat of my own drum.' The TV star - who shares Phoenix, 19, Hendrix, 16, Xascha, 14, Xanthe, 12, and twins Xalia and Margaux, 10, with Shannon.
