After the most “Christmassy Christmas” as a new mum, Georgia Harrison says she’s striding confidently into 2026, feeling like a totally different woman.
The reality star, who welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Sahara Jean, with her partner Jack Stacey in October, sees herself entering a new chapter, telling OK! during an exclusive shoot that motherhood has changed her “in every way possible”.
“I have the capacity to feel more love, I have more of a purpose and I have more empathy for others,” she says. “I see other people not just as people, but as somebody’s child.”
Following a hectic festive period, Georgia and Jack are now planning a cosy New Year ’s Eve dinner at a local Italian restaurant, before heading to Dubai for a much-needed holiday.
“My dad, stepmum and sister are coming too, so there’ll be plenty of babysitters on hand,” jokes Georgia. “We can’t wait — and I’ve already bought Sahara’s swimwear, which is the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.”
Looking radiant — and not the faintest bit sleep-deprived – the former Love Island star, 30, says she was instantly smitten when their bundle of joy arrived on 30 October. “I fell in love with Sahara straight away,” she tells us. “I was so obsessed with her, and Jack was too.”
Weighing 6lb 7oz, Sahara was born a week early at Whipps Cross Hospital in East London. “It all went really well — hats off to the NHS, because they were brilliant,” Georgia recalls.
Though Jack, 33, held her hand throughout, he’s modest about his input. “I obviously did what I could, but it was all Georgia,” he says. “She was amazing and I was way more scared than her. She even had a nap before giving birth, which I couldn’t believe.”
Unsurprisingly, the new parents were overcome with emotion when Sahara made her grand entrance.“I was crying my eyes out,” says Jack, who works in property.
“We both cried,” jumps in ex-TOWIE star Georgia. “We’d said to each other, ‘Look, it’s OK if you don’t love the baby right away,’ because lots of people don’t have an immediate bond, but it wasn’t like that at all for us.”
Chatting while feeding Sahara, Georgia says she’s the dream baby so far, adding, “She only cries if she’s hungry. It’s been easier than I thought it would be.”
That said, the lack of shuteye is proving challenging. “At first she slept through the night, but now she wakes every two hours,” Georgia admits. “Everyone says this is the thick of it, and you’ve just got to power through. Luckily, as soon as she goes down I drop off again — though I reckon I could sleep on the ground in the rain.”
While Jack helps where he can, Georgia says, “I’m breastfeeding, so there’s only so much he can do — unless he grows a pair of boobs!”
He’s enjoying his share of nappy changes though. “It’s my favourite thing to do, because I feel I’m contributing,” he says. “I don’t even mind the really bad nappies. The bigger, the better. I get really excited!”
The pair — who met on a dating app and only went public with their romance in January — chose not to discover Sahara’s sex before she was born. “It was a complete surprise,” Jack says. “I called it right on the day, though.”
Georgia was less sure, saying, “Loads of people told me they’d dreamt I was having a boy, and my Reiki woman said it was a boy, so I started mentally preparing myself for that.”
Explaining how they chose her name, Georgia says, “We wanted her to have a really different name and it seemed perfect. Sahara derives from Arabic and can mean free spirit, and that’s just very much her. I liked the sound of ‘Sahara Stacey’ as well.”
Incredibly, Sahara arrived just days after Georgia received her MBE from Prince William for services to tackling online privacy and cybercrime awareness.
“I was just trying not to give birth at Windsor Castle,” she giggles. “Although part of me sort of wanted to, just for the drama of it — and maybe the Insta content!”
Georgia’s award came after she waived her right to anonymity in a case where an ex-partner shared a secret sex tape of her online.
She’s now seen as a driving force behind moves to make revenge porn a criminal offence — and becoming a mother to Sahara has made her even more determined to use her voice. “It definitely makes me more passionate to think the work I do is helping make the world a safer place for her,” she says.
Meeting the future king didn’t quite go to plan, however. “I’m such a fan, so when I found out it was William giving me the MBE, I was so happy,” she reveals.
“But I ended up doing an over-the-top theatrical curtsy, and almost hit the deck. I was this huge pregnant person in heels, arms spread-eagled and trying not to topple over. William cracked up and my family couldn’t believe it.”
She says talking to the prince about her work was a huge honour. “I was shocked because he’d followed a lot of my experiences and said how brave I was,” she says. “To speak to one of the most important people on Earth about changing the world is an experience I’ll never forget.”
Back at her and Jack’s Essex home, there has been plenty of change. “The nursery is the most amazing room now. We really went for it,” Georgia laughs. “I’ve got a rocking chair for night feeds, and we’ve got so many contraptions because I wanted to be prepared.”
They didn’t hold back for Sahara’s first Christmas, either. “We went all out, there are no two ways about it,” says Jack. “She’s not going to remember a thing, but it was the most Christmassy Christmas of all time.” Hilariously, one of Sahara’s stand-out presents was “a little Santa that farts out bubbles”.
Revealing that Jack cooked for 10 on the big day, Georgia says, “I was like, ‘I’ve done the heavy lifting for nine months. I’ll be doing nothing!’ Jack’s family came from the Isle of Wight, and mine were there too. It was so sweet, as everyone basically wanted to be with Sahara.”
They’re now planning to take Sahara on her first holiday to Dubai — assisted by their loved ones. “We’ll have the grandparents with us, so we might be able to have some fun and get ourselves down to the pool bar,” Georgia grins.
Closer to home, they also have a lot of support. “Georgia’s mum Nicola, who lives locally, is probably going to be like the third parent,” says Jack.
And lots of showbiz mates have rallied round the new parents too — including best pal Olivia Attwood, who starred in the 2017 series of Love Island with Georgia. “She sent us some Baby Dior outfits, which were the only thing that fit initially because Sahara was so small,” says Georgia.
“Loads of my reality friends have reached out too — Diags [James Bennewith], Arg [ James Argent ], and Sam Faiers, who sent a nice message saying how magical it’s going to be. Gemma Collins too — Sahara had a shoutout from The GC before she was even a month old.”
No stranger to online criticism, Georgia was recently targeted for using so-called “puppy pads” to lie Sahara on. They’re said to contain potentially harmful chemicals, but she refuses to let the kickback upset her.
“Oh my God, the mum-shaming is intense. I haven’t posted much without getting things wrong, but honestly, I’d rather know about it,” she says. “Getting negative feedback can be tough, but as a first-time mum I’m still learning and if I’m doing something wrong I’ll change it. Nobody’s perfect.”
Though she and Jack hope to have more children one day, it won’t be for a while. “We definitely want Sahara to have at least one sibling, but I’d also like to not be pregnant for a year,” says the star.
Georgia is now looking forward to getting back into the gym, when she can find the time. “I’m just relaxing at the moment, but in a few weeks I’ll get fit again. Not due to pressure from others, but because I’ve always been active.
“My pregnancy was the first time I’ve not gone to the gym five times a week, and I miss exercise so much. I can’t wait to get back into a fit and healthy lifestyle.”
Looking back on their whirlwind few weeks, Georgia believes she and Jack have grown closer. “You really do look at your partner in a completely different way once they’ve been by your side during childbirth,” she says.
“It unlocks a new part of your relationship. At the start of this year, we were on a three-week trip across Colombia, now we’re obsessed with dirty nappies.