Sam Faiers refuses to rule out baby number 4 as she talks expanding her family

Sam Faiers is a woman on a mission, juggling the joys of raising three young children with her sister Billie Shepherd on their hit podcast and launching beauty brand Revive Collagen in LA. Despite her packed schedule, the 33-year-old former TOWIE sensation isn't slowing down.

In an exclusive heart-to-heart with OK!, Sam opens up about embracing motherhood, cherishing family moments, and moving on from her reality TV roots. Reflecting on the impact of her youngest, two-year-old Edward, she shares, "People say, 'You've had two, the third will slot in.' But I found my whole life was turned upside down. Paul and Rosie are in school, there are no nappies and they are fairly independent... and then I went back for the third!"

"Paul and I always wanted a big family. However, I was getting my routine back with some breathing space. It was almost a shock [having a third]. I think I got used to being like, 'Oh, right, I can do this now they're at school in the daytime and I can work out my week.' But Edward's never been a great sleeper. Even last night he had me up two or three times."

Sam, who's been with her partner Paul Knightly since 2014, is open to the idea of more kids despite the challenges. "Do you know what, it's hard to say no," she admits.

"I'm such a maternal person and I love babies, and even now Edward is coming up to two and a half, I say to Paul, 'Why is it all so sad?" She reflects on the bittersweet feeling of watching her children grow up, saying, "Being a parent you have all these highs and lows, and now I'm looking at him and he's such a character. But he's not a baby anymore. So I don't know. I'm not going to say no. I am maternal, but I'm busy at the moment, so I don't know about it right now."

Since her TOWIE debut in 2010 and her departure from the show in 2014, Sam has embraced motherhood since having her first child at 25, leading a quieter life away from the drama. She candidly acknowledges her imperfections as a parent, stating, "I've probably had loads over the years. No one is perfect, are they? I guess I've never really been a 'routine mum', and I breastfed all mine on demand. For the first year of each baby, I never gave myself a break."

She discusses the importance of rest for mothers, sharing her experience: "I've got friends that breastfed and also expressed to get a good night's sleep. I've never done that but I probably should have in hindsight. I think sleep is something mums should prioritise as much as we can because our energy just gets sapped."

Breastfeeding her son Edward was a challenge for Sam, who suffered from mastitis twice. "I was very poorly," she said. "It was so painful but I powered on through it. The best thing you can do, I think, is to feed through it. But it knocked me down, you feel helpless because you're in so much pain."

Edward then developed severe eczema at around four months old. "Edward then had really bad eczema. He'd never had it before but it started around four months of age. I didn't know what to do and at one point he was covered in sores and was weeping, it was that bad. As a parent, it was difficult to understand and I had to wrap his little fingers up at night because he would scratch his body and he would wake up and there would be blood. It was so sad because I'd never had it with the other two. And you start thinking, 'What have I done wrong? What's different? ' So that was quite tough."

After six months of struggle, Edward finally began to thrive again. "We finally overcame that after six months and Edward had a new lease of life. I know it's only eczema, but when you go through that, it feels like so much more than that."

Sam, who has battled Crohn's disease since 2014, used her own health struggles to aid her son. "They always say the main thing could be dairy, but it couldn't have been because he was exclusively breastfed. However, at that time, I began to wean him. We got his diet under control, stripped everything back and did things naturally and holistically so we didn't have to use any medication."

"I also bought this red light, which was said to be beneficial for healing eczema and skin allergies. I'd wrap it around his car seat or when he was in his high chair in the morning to get as much red light as possible. And things like vitamin D, I would give him drops three or four times a day. I tried everything. He grew out of it and he doesn't have it now, touch wood. But it was tough. I've been really into holistic health for a long time because of my health issues with Crohn's and I'm always researching and finding new potions."

After her departure from TOWIE, Sam took the spotlight in her own show, Sam And Billie Faiers: The Mummy Diaries, enchanting viewers for nine seasons. But three years ago she made the shock announcement that she was leaving the series.

However, she remains firm on her choice, saying, "I always felt comfortable doing reality; it's something I'd done for a very long time. It's not that I was saying I'm never coming back to TV, it was more for the point of letting my kids just be kids and not having to film with my whole family.

"It's something I would always look into doing myself in the future, but it was more about when the kids started school. I just wanted them to be living their lives as normal children, not having to come home and cameras be there."

Last month, it was reported that Sam's sister Billie, who shares three children - Nelly, 10, Arthur, seven, and 22-month-old Margot - with her husband Greg Shepherd, might also be stepping back from the spotlight. It appears both sisters are keen on keeping their kids away from too much public attention.

"I'll try to keep them away from having a smartphone for as long as possible," Sam admits. "I'll prolong it for as long as possible because I want to keep my children as innocent [as I can] and keep their childhood."

Sam herself has faced challenges living in the public eye, dealing with trolls and negative comments online. However, she remains unapologetic about her parenting choices, which she discusses candidly in her book 'My Baby and Me'. Sam shared that baby Paul slept in her bed for a year and that she breastfed for 15 months.

"You get a few trolls, but 99.9% of the time I've got such a lovely following," she reflects. "I think there are quite a few things that might be seen as controversial which I don't think are at all, like co-sleeping or the way that I breastfed for longer than maybe some others. It's quite hard to find other celebrities who would maybe showcase this side of parent life. I don't do stuff all the time, but when I do, I find it quite impactful. Not everyone's going to agree, but that's the risk you run by being honest and open."

Family time is top of the list for Sam, who's just returned from a fabulous getaway with her loved ones aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Oasis of the Seas. She gushed about the experience: "It was so nice to do something where we were all fully involved with the activities. The trip was so family-packed and we visited five different places in Europe, which we would probably never do with young kids. There were so many advantages to it and everything was seamless."

She continued, raving about the onboard entertainment: "There were so many activities, including a dry slide called The Ultimate Abyss, a surf simulator called FlowRider, a zip line and an aqua park called Splashaway Bay. Then every night there was an AquaShow. I could list a million things. The highlights for me were the activities and the entertainment. There was a lot of juggling though to try and keep all three children happy because there was so much to do. It was a trip of a lifetime."

Sam Faiers has partnered with Royal Caribbean International (www.royalcaribbean.com/gbr/en) for her holiday onboard cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas. Offering the ultimate choice for a family holiday and memorable quality time, six Royal Caribbean ships will sail from five European destinations next summer (2025).