And in a powerful Insta post on World Mental Health Day earlier this month she admitted that, eight weeks after the birth of her third son Max, she was finding life tough. Gi’s words struck a chord with her 1 million followers, who praised her for speaking out.
“I’ve not been feeling myself the last couple of weeks,” she wrote. “I’ve tried to say it out loud a couple of times and then totally dismissed it and brushed it under the carpet… I’m fine, but sometimes I don’t want to get out of bed in the morning. I don’t want to get dressed.
"I don’t want to see people. I don’t want to do anything. I’m fine, but I’ve been crying for no reason and occasionally can’t seem to stop.”
“It is manic,” she says today. “But we’re OK. And honesty is the best thing you can give another parent. It’s encouraging and empowering.”
Gi, 33, who also has sons Buzz, four, and Buddy, two, with husband Tom Fletcher, was back on her work emails four days after having Max.
In between breastfeeds she is writing her second Eve Of Man novel with McFly frontman Tom, also 33.
That’s as well as organising guests for the fourth series of her successful podcast Happy Mum Happy Baby and putting together her first live event for it (in association with Fabulous).
Her refreshing brand of truth and ability to get celebs such as Davina McCall and Amanda Holden to open up on their parenting struggles has made her into one of the UK’s most popular mummy bloggers.
She’s hit 2 million downloads in the process, but says: “I’m not putting any pressure on myself. I’m trying to take things a little easier so I can enjoy being a mum.”
And with that, we sit down for a warts-and-all chat…
Congrats on the arrival of Max! How is it all going?
"It’s chaotic, but Tom is working mostly from home, so if I’ve had a really rough night he gets up with the older two and I can stay in bed a bit longer, which is amazing."
How have you been doing since that Instagram post hit the headlines earlier this month?
"I’m feeling good right now. I’m glad I recognised that I wasn’t feeling like myself and opened up to family and friends, even my GP.
"Maternal mental health isn’t spoken about enough, perhaps because we all know how lucky we are to have our children in our lives.
"That said, it’s so important to stop and say you’re not OK! Getting out of the house and seeing people has really helped me."
How do you get that work/parenting balance right?
"Tom and I sit down once a month and say something’s got to give. It’s an important conversation as it makes you redress the balance.
"There’s so much pressure, and if we can alleviate that, it’s very important to do so."
Do you and Tom still find time for one another?
"We love a box set! We like to binge watch, which is funny because it means we’re sat there not talking to each other.
"But I mean, come on! We’ve known each other for 20 years.
"What haven’t we said to each other already… That’s the joy, that comfortableness together."
You’re very honest on Instagram and talk about the tears and the tantrums. How important is that?
"Really important. You’ve got to give a bit of reality.
"I felt relief putting it out there that I wasn’t a picture-perfect mum.
"I never want people to watch or compare and feel as though they’re failing or not getting it right."
Do you have moments of self-doubt?
"Oh yeah, especially in the lead-up to having Max and trying to get all my work done but still be a mum.
"I felt frustrated, and didn’t feel like I was the best mum I could be. I don’t believe anyone doesn’t have a little self-doubt.
"You’re not just welcoming a child, you’re changing your life completely. You learn to find yourself in that again."
Did you ever worry about postnatal depression?
"I did. When Buzz was born, I didn’t realise what the role of the health visitor was – I thought they were assessing how good I was as a mum and they were going to take Buzz away if I failed.
"It’s only when you show your vulnerability that you realise they’re on your side.
"I used to cry a lot, but Buzz cried a lot too. What’s weird is I’ve always been the maternal one out of my friends, and when I had a baby I felt like I didn’t have a maternal bone in my body and didn’t know how to do it.
"It’s worrying when you’re thinking: “What have I done?” when you’re holding that baby you’ve dreamed of for years."
Is talking the answer?
"The more people talk about it, the better. Because if I’d read somewhere that I might feel like this, I’d have felt that it was normal and that I could cope.
"We shouldn’t be afraid to talk."
Do you worry about talking about your “good” births for fear of people taking offence?
"I did hypnobirthing all three times, and for me it’s amazing. But I know you don’t get a medal for doing anything without drugs.
"You don’t get a medal for having an epidural. You don’t get a medal however you do it. You just have to do what’s right for you.
"But having done the podcast and heard stories of post-traumatic stress disorder after birth and people having to go through therapy after not having the birth they wanted, you understand there is so much upset and anger.
"When someone says they’ve had a good birth, maybe some people think it’s smug. But I think the good and the bad stories should be talked about, and we should be encouraging that dialogue."
Why do some people feel like they’ve failed if they haven’t had a “good” birth?
"I think they feel like it’s a reflection on you as a mum, which it isn’t. I felt that way when I had a miscarriage [in 2012].
"My first time falling pregnant and I had a miscarriage. I felt like I’d completely let myself down, I’d let Tom down and I’d let the baby down.
"I felt like I was a massive failure, so I can understand where that upset comes from. They can’t have the birth they wanted and think they have failed in some way. They haven’t. Their baby is here.
"You just don’t know what your body is going to do in that moment."
Do you get lots of comments about having three boys?
"All the time! People thought we were going for a third for a girl and from the start I was very much: “No, I want a healthy child, that’s all.”
"Buzz and Buddy are so different in their personalities and that’s not down to their gender, that’s down to who they are as people.
"To be honest, as I got further through the pregnancy, I was worried about having a girl because I only know boys. I know I wouldn’t fall pregnant just to have a girl – I think I’m super-lucky to have the children that I do."
In association with Fabulous, Giovanna will be hosting Happy Mum Happy Baby: LIVE sponsored by Vitabiotics on Thursday, November 29.
Photography: Instagram/Giovanna Fletcher
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