The Traitors' Charlotte Chilton introduces baby Penelope she shares with Conor Maynard

Charlotte Chilton, with her distinctive red lipstick, jet-black curls and undeniable charisma, was one of the breakout stars of The Traitors when it aired this January. However, less than a year since her scenes were shown, the stunning 33 year old has traded round tables for changing tables, having welcomed her daughter Penelope last month.

The first-time mum, who has publicly claimed that singer Conor Maynard is Penelope's father but alleges he is not involved with the baby, is introducing her darling daughter to the world with our exclusive shoot at her home. Despite a challenging pregnancy and stressful initial weeks, Charlotte seems to be taking motherhood in her stride, as she opens up in an exclusive chat with OK!.

"I hated being pregnant," she confesses, effortlessly holding a mug of tea in one hand and little Penelope in the other. "I loved the baby inside me, but everything else was s**t. I remember thinking, 'This is vile. Women lie to women and say, It's magical. There's nothing magical about this.' I was really, really negative, but I did have SPD [Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction, which causes severe pelvic pain during pregnancy], gestational diabetes, I had an allergy to my hormones. I had everything, so I was constantly in and out of the hospital. I couldn't do much for myself. I had to stop working for the last three months. And I didn't have a baby daddy there to help. It was really hard."

Labour also had its challenges "When I thought I was about 4cm dilated, the doctors told me Penelope's heart rate was dropping and they were going to have to give me an emergency C-section to get her out," recalls Charlotte. "It turns out I was nearer to 9cm. I pushed so hard, she actually flew out of me – I needed a fair few stitches afterwards! "Penelope was born at 3.53pm on 13 October, weighing 6lb 7oz. Her besotted mother chose the middle name, Royella, after her beloved grandad Roy. Penelope and Charlotte will share Charlotte's maiden name Thornett, once Charlotte's divorce from her ex-wife Laura Chilton is finalised, reports OK!.

"It's incredible how it changes your life," she gushes as she stares sweetly at her little girl. "But it was difficult at first. The postpartum anxiety, which I didn't know was a thing, was so high at the start. For the first couple of weeks everything would make me feel so panicked. Thank goodness I've got amazing family and friends around me. My ex-wife has been so supportive, always telling me what a good job I'm doing."

Charlotte opened up about her relationship with her family since the arrival of her baby: "We went through a real 'hate' phase when I first got pregnant but we're friends again now and she's been great. And my mum, well, she's basically taken on the role of the father. She'll get the bottles sterilised for me, she'll take the baby when I need it, she'll make sure I eat dinner, because it's so easy to get through the day without eating anything. It's the best diet in the world, looking after a newborn. The weight has come off me."

Finding solace at her parents’ spacious Warwickshire home, Charlotte is not only relishing motherhood and the support from her close-knit family but is also ambitiously starting her own recruitment business amid making plans to find her own place: "I love it. We're such a close family, it's not like I'm 'moving back in', it feels very grown-up and natural, and their help is invaluable," she explains. "And I don't feel like I'm missing out – people are always coming here and seeing the baby. Everyone's so proud of me for doing this alone. I've got a real village around me."

However, when questioned about Conor, whom Charlotte names as Penelope's father, there’s a palpable shift in her presence; her shoulders tense and she swiftly moves from a gentle new mother to a determined protector."He knows. I've not heard anything," she claims. "I had real torment over whether to contact him when she was here or not. And I figured I don't want to speak to him, but he has a right to know. I knew if I didn't reach out people would say I hadn't bothered. But if I did contact him, it'd look like I'm hassling him. I thought the best thing to do would be to contact his representatives. And that's what we did. I said, 'Look, she's here.' He has a right to know."

Charlotte recounted how she and Conor sparked instantly during an evening outing with The Traitors victor Harry Clark, who is romantically involved with Conor's sister Anna. According to Charlotte, after a short-lived affair and upon discovering her pregnancy, Conor detached himself from both her and the unborn child. She also alleges that Harry severed all ties with her once the news was shared.

"That was a real kick in the teeth," she laments. "The guy stopped speaking to me practically the second I told Conor I was pregnant. I guess the 'bro code' kicked in. And we all know, thanks to the show, that he has a 'bro code'. [In a surprising turn on the show, audiences saw Harry famously deceive smitten contestant Mollie Pearce into believing he was loyal.] To say I felt devastated would be an understatement. Harry and I were thick as thieves; he was the link to meeting Conor initially, but now there’s Penelope, for whom I’m thankful."

Charlotte Crosby opened up about the emotional struggle she faces, confessing: "There have been days where I've been in tears because I'm sitting here thinking, 'I've got a daughter that looks f**king identical to you,'" while reflecting on her daughter's resemblance to Conor. On whether she wants Conor to be part of their child's life, Charlotte stated, "If she wants to walk away from him, that's fine, but she needs to make that decision for herself when she's older," and assured, "I'm not going to deny her contact if he decides he wants to see her."

Despite being targeted by vicious trolling, including a horrifying message wishing death upon her and her baby, Charlotte remains unfazed: "I've got really thick skin, so trolls are wasting their time on me, but my God some are deranged," she said.

Charlotte also addressed unfair accusations, remarking, "Because I stood up to a guy like Conor, trolls have assumed I must want his money or I forced him, or I trapped him. That's my favourite one. 'Trapped him'. I was like, hmmm, okay, so I planned, after infertility for five years and multiple miscarriages, to get pregnant. I even managed to make myself ovulate at that time with a guy that I did not plan to be with! Obviously! ".

Charlotte beamed with joy while talking about her daughter Penelope, despite the past struggles of trying to conceive with her ex-wife Laura. "She's just wonderful," she shares, looking adoringly at her little one. "When I'm not with her, I feel like my arm has been chopped off. It's a huge adjustment, but I'm so in love."

The Traitors alumni have showered her with congratulatory messages too – high praise from co-stars such as Diane Carson and Charlie Bees. "They're all so excited for me," Charlotte reveals, expressing her own excitement about the upcoming celebrity edition of the show. "I've read that Courteney Cox is interested, which would be amazing. I personally would love to see Rylan on there, or even one of the queens from RuPaul's Drag Race," she confides. Having cherished her time on The Traitors, Charlotte spills some exclusive tea about the experience.

"We stayed in a hotel down the road from the castle. I don't know if everyone else did, but I got a suite, with a seating area and everything," she recounts. "But you all come and go separately. You're all blindfolded, you've got security guards outside your room. It would be impossible to sneak in or out. You do get video messages from family sent to you via your contact person, but that's about it."

Charlotte heaped praise on host Claudia Winkleman, stating enthusiastically, "Oh, she's such an empath," and continued with admiration, "She is so proud of you when you do well. She was trying to sneak me a Twix to say well done when I'd done that awful Airbnb challenge. I remember her saying, 'I just want to give you a big squeeze! ' She's amazing. And, actually, she'd make an incredible contestant on the celebrity version, because she knows so much about how it all works. She'd smash it – but then who on earth would host? ".

Having applied for the hit reality show "when I was drunk on Christmas Day", Charlotte has found a newfound passion for television and aspires to further her TV career, while balancing her recruitment business. She mused over appearing in a dating show now that she's single, joking, "Well, I do have to get back out there," and confessing her love for romances, "I love being in love. It's my favourite thing in the world. But I have no idea where to begin. Thankfully, I don't feel I need someone right now as I have Penelope, I'm so content just cuddling her. There's no love like it."

She added: "I love being in love. It's my favourite thing in the world. But I have no idea where to begin. Thankfully, I don't feel I need someone right now as I have Penelope, I'm so content just cuddling her. There's no love like it."

We have contacted representatives for Conor and Harry for comment.