Kate Lawler says she’s in couple’s therapy with husband after birth of their daughter
Kate Lawler has revealed she and her husband have been attending couple’s therapy sessions since the birth of their daughter in February 2021.
The former Big Brother winner, 44, married Martin Bojitos in June 2022 after the pair met at the 2013 Kerrang! Awards in London.
Lawler admitted she and Bojitos have struggled to make time for their relationship since becoming parents and go to therapy to help keep their spark alive.
Speaking to The Sun, the presenter said she was shocked by the drastic change in her relationship with her husband after welcoming their daughter.
“When you’re a parent, you have to accept you’re not going to have the time — or the energy — to do things you did before your child came along,” she said.
“’Martin is more, ‘Come on, we haven’t had time for ourselves for ages, let’s get in the bedroom’ than me. I take a bit of convincing.”
The presenter said having a child is the “hardest thing you ever do” and keeping the romance alive in her relationship “takes just as much effort”.
In 2020, UK counselling charity Relate reported a 30 per cent increase in clients in their 20s and 30s since 2014.
Lawler said her therapy sessions with her husband have helped her see things from her partner’s point of view.
“You think, ‘Well, actually maybe that was my fault. It’s hugely beneficial,” she said. “We made a commitment to each other and you work through it.”
Lawler previously detailed her shifting relationship dynamic with Bojitos on the White Wine Question Time podcast.
The former reality star said she and Bojitos had “the hardest year as a couple so far” in the months leading up to their wedding as they struggled to navigate parenthood.
“I thought it would change my life, me personally, but I didn’t think about how much it would affect us as a couple,” she said.
“We went out for a curry the other night because I pointed out that since Noa was born a year ago we’ve only been out on our own on a date twice. It’s not good enough.
The presenter admitted she couldn’t be “bothered” to put on make-up and find an outfit for a date with her partner.
“I want to sit in my pyjamas and read a book,” she said.
It comes after a parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma called for a national plan to improve maternity care on Monday (13 May).
According to The Times, the report found “poor care is all frequently tolerated as normal, and women are treated as an inconvenience”.
Among the recommendations included in the report is the creation of a maternity commissioner reporting to the Prime Minister.
Research from the Birth Trauma Association charity shows that about 4-5 per cent of women experience PTSD after birth – about 25,000-30,000 a year in the UK.
Last month, Lawler revealed she’d been diagnosed with postnatal depression, six weeks after the birth of her daughter.
The presenter told her social media followers in a post on Instagram that being a new parent can be “challenging, exhausting, lonely, overwhelming and depressing”.
“Not all new parents find it tough and it can also be beautiful, magical, incredible, the greatest experience of one’s life,” she said.
“I just want all mums, dads and carers who are struggling to know that it’s OK not to feel okay.”