26th December, 2019
By Funmilola Olukomaiya
In a rare interview with The Nation Newspaper’s Flair Magazine, TV Personality and Entrepreneur, Stephanie Coker, talks about her pregnancy journey and other aspects of her life she seldom talks about. You can bet it is a must-read!
See excerpts from her interview below:
Most people didn’t know you were pregnant until you posted some maternity photos on Instagram. What made you decide it was time to reveal the news?
Well, not only was it my birthday the day I posted the maternity photos, but it was also Thanksgiving in the United States. So, I just had so much to be grateful for. God has been so good and I have so much family support and friends spreading and sharing their love and I just thought I would share that amazing day with my people and my family online. And you know also witnessing a miracle of bringing a life into the world. It’s just so hard to describe the joy and the feeling, it’s next to none.
Your fans have always known you as a style icon. How do you manage to still stay stylish while pregnant?
Oh my goodness! What can I say about staying stylish while pregnant? I don’t think style was at the forefront of my mind whenever I was getting dressed when I was pregnant. You know obviously you have this big bump, so it’s pretty hard to get dressed. You just really want to be comfortable, and that was what I was shooting for; to just be comfortable. I didn’t buy a lot of maternity clothes just because I didn’t feel they were stylish enough. Even though I wasn’t trying to be over stylish, they just weren’t cutting it. So I would just buy clothes that I liked. I would buy a couple of sizes up like a size 12 or 14. And I bought a lot of oversized T-shirts, shirts, and jumpers. I wore a lot of sneakers, sandals. I just really wanted to be comfortable, but when I did go to Paris I wanted to be stylish because you know you can’t be super stylish in Paris. I just made sure I wore kitten-heels and I took a lot of stylish pieces but I made sure they were over-sized so they actually fit. It’s not cool when you wear a small size when you are pregnant; it’s super uncomfortable.
Do you think it’s possible for female celebrities to “have it all” – a thriving career and a happy home?
I think it is possible, I think we just need to find the right balance. We need to keep some things off social media. I think it’s not everything you need to respond to, even though it’s hard sometimes. I don’t think it’s worth it. Keeping your sanity and home sometimes is more important. I just think that is one of the ways to help keep a happy home. And as for career, I feel like there is an attack on female celebrities who are married; it’s really weird. It’s like once they get divorced, or separated, it’s like their career blows. There are other women who still have a happy home and a thriving career. I do think it’s possible. I just think we all need to find the right balance.
What are some of your most memorable moments of 2019?
Hands down, being pregnant. Second, being able to speak in the UN on the status of women in March of this year; that was amazing. Having my presenting course classes being able to hear all these stories from all these young aspiring presenters and being able to spend two days with them. Those moments are the moments I love most about my job; being able to talk to people who want to do what I am doing. It reminds me of where I am coming from and the passion I felt when I wanted to be a presenter. I really cherish those times.
Read the full interview here