‘Mum guilt never
gets easier’
T
his October will mark a
decade in television for
Essex sisters Sam Faiers
and Billie Shepherd.
They’ve come a long way since
their TOWIE days – both run
successful clothing businesses
and they’re currently appearing
in the seventh series of The
Mummy Diaries.
Billie, who’s mum to Nelly,
five, and Arthur, three, with
husband Greg, is preparing to
move house, while Sam, 29, who
has Paul, four, and Rosie, two,
with partner Paul Knightley,
has been dealing with the
stress of her primary school
applications. And the siblings
still have so much to show us- in fact, they still want to be on
our screens in another decade!
Here, Sam and Billie share
their parenting advice, the pain
of mum guilt and their plans to
film The Grandma Diaries...
Hi ladies. What’s the best
advice you’ve ever been
given on motherhood?
PHOTOS: ShutterstockSam: I always think a good piece
of advice is, no matter how
many books you read or
how many people tell you how
to do something, you should
always just trust your own
instincts, as you know your baby
better than anyone else. It’s a
feeling from inside. If someone’s
telling you what you should be
doing, always trust your gut.
Before you were both mums,
what was the main thing you
underestimated about
being parents?
Billie: The tiredness
and juggling
everything.
Sam: The
emotional
rollercoaster.
You have
the happiest
moments of your
life, but at the same
time you cry about so
many things. Milestones,
like when Nelly was going
to school for Billie. Also mum
guilt. It’s really emotional and
it doesn’t get easier. It gets
harder as they get older.What do
you think
makes
The
Mummy
Diaries so
popular?
Billie: I think
it’s the fact that we
keep it real and give everything.
We don’t gloss over things.
When the kids have tantrums
and meltdowns, we show it.
Sam: It’s the highs and lows.
Mums and dads can relate
to what we do. We’re not
perfect. Although we live
sometimes glamorous
lifestyles, we’re very
normal in terms of how
we parent and how the
family household is.
You’ve both been on TV
for almost 10 years. Where
do you see yourselves
in another 10 years?
Sam: I’ll be turning 40! I’ll
be in my prime. I think 40
will be a good time.Billie: I hope to have more
time on my hands, but still be
working. I always want to work.
I will never, ever not work. It
gives you something to get up
for. I get mentally stimulated
by work. So I’ll still be working,
but I’d also like to be on a yacht
in the South of France!
Casting your mind back 10
years, if someone had told
you where you’d be in your
lives now, what would the
biggest surprise be?
Sam: It would be the fact that
I had my own show that was
going to last for so long. It’s
seven series and we’ve been
doing it for four and a half years.
Lots of people get their own
show, but the fact that we’re so
far on, it’s incredible. We put a
lot of hard work into it, but we’re
so grateful that it keeps going.
So it will be the teenager diaries
and the grandma diaries!Sam & Billie: The Mummy
Diaries is on the ITV HubSam Faiers and Billie Shepherd share their tips on
motherhood and why they’re not perfect parents
Billie married
Greg last yearPaul with Rosie
and Little PaulGreg with Nelly
and ArthurSam has been
with Paul
since 2014