Stacey Dooley has shared a family update with followers as she celebrates her daughter’s birthday. The documentary maker and her partner, Kevin Clifton, are the proud parents of Minnie. The couple regularly shares insights into their personal lives on social media.
In the latest update, Stacey posted a video of helium balloons covering the ceiling of her Merseyside home, before panning the camera to show a helium balloon which said “Minnie”, alongside a number three. Colourful balloons also covered the floor as the birthday celebrations got underway.
The former Strictly contestant captioned the post: “Love of my life is three. Obsessed forever baby g. Tomorrow (everyday) we celebrate you”, she added a red heart emoji.
Stacey welcomed Minnie in 2023 and has since written a book about her experience as a mum. A description of “Dear Minnie” said it “shines a light on the quiet selflessness, resilience, pain, trauma, grief, and joy of every kind of mother, to tell a story that transcends culture and geography, and speaks to us all”.
Supportive messages have been sent to Stacey and her family as they mark the special occasion. Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt said: “Happy birthday Minnie” and singer Ashley Roberts wrote “Happy Birthday Queen Minnie.”
Other replies came from Fleur East, who commented: “Happy birthday to your sweet Minnie. Have a lovely time celebrating” and Strictly’s Neil Jones, who posted “Happy Birthday Minnie, have the best day.”
Speaking in her documentary released last year, Stacey Sleeps Over, she shared her hidden struggle to welcome a child before Minnie came along.
She said: “I have experienced what it is like to struggle to have a child. We obviously wanted to expand our family and last year I fell pregnant and it didn’t go brilliantly. It was ectopic. I am so sorry because this is so predictable. I am sat here crying on a bed. It was ectopic and it was really f*****g difficult.
“There was an internal rupture and there had to be emergency surgery. Of course, when you go through something like that you are forced to think of alternatives. S*** happens and if you want a bigger family, you have to think how you’re going to do that.”
According to the NHS, an ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes. The health agency said it is not possible to save the pregnancy, with one in 90 pregnancies being ectopic in the UK.
Throughout difficult periods, Stacey has a loving family around her, and this is part of the reason she decided to make the move to Merseyside. On the Parenting Hell podcast hosted by comics Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe, she shared: “She’s [mum] really hands-on and if she wasn’t on the scene, and I appreciate this isn’t always the way for many people, I think I would really struggle. I don’t think I’d be able to work actually.
“[It was] A mixture of reasons but primarily, she’s our nanny. And I wanted the baby close to her nan and it’s a lovely relationship to nurture. The pair of them are thick as thieves. I don’t really exist when my mum’s around. I’m doing the house up. I bought this really beautiful house but it’s so old, it’s on its last legs.”