Claire Sweeney has written an open letter about her experiences of being an older mother and offered advice to pregnant Geri Horner about going through the same thing.
Claire, 45, who is known best for her acting roles in TV shows such as Brookside and appearances on Loose Woman, had her first child at 43. Now, she's penned an open letter for the Mirror about her experiences as a 'geriatric mum' directly addressing former Spice Girl Geri.
Geri took to the red carpet to debut her blossoming bump at the Attitude Awards
According to Claire, the expectant mum should be prepared for 'endless' questions such as, 'Do you get tired? Do you find it hard?' to which Claire's response is always 'a firm no'. The actress protests that despite being considered an older mother, she has the same energy she had in her 20s, and felt just as tired post-birth as fellow 30-something mums.
'I don't feel geriatric and I bet you don't. You're in great shape and looked glowing on the red carpet showing off your bump. Girl Power!
'And I bet you'll agree when I say I don't feel any different to when I was 20. I'm touring doing nine shows a week and still have the energy to run after a toddler.
'I'd be up in the middle of the night doing feeds and chatting to Giovanna Fletcher, who's married to McFly singer Tom, on Facebook. She's in her early 30s but she was just as tired as me.'
Reassuring older mums everywhere, Claire points out the benefits of leaving children until later in life, 'I'm glad I left it until later in life because I'd got my career and felt more settled'.
But, the risks can't be ignored and one thing Geri should watch out for is Google, 'A word of warning - stay away from Google. I call myself a cyberchondriac because there is all this information and you can worry yourself to death. Enjoy your pregnancy and don't feel guilty if you want to put your feet up.'
For Claire, her joy was amplified even further because of the previous loss of two children and she couldn't care less about what others think, 'people can call me what they want. I'm just thrilled after the heartbreak of losing two babies.'
