’She has his soul’: How Ellidy Pullin connects her daughter to Chumpy

Ellidy Pullin has opened up about solo parenting and the special ways she connects her daughter with late snowboarder Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin

When Ellidy Pullin looks at her giggling daughter Minnie, she sees her late partner, Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin, staring back at her, and those moments, she says, make the relentless task of solo parenting worth it.

In a unique and incredible birth story, Minnie was born last October, 16 months after Chumpy tragically drowned off the Gold Coast, an IVF procedure made possible by the post-mortem sperm retrieval process.

“I know that Minnie will grow up with a very deep sense of who her father is and where she came from. His energy is in every corner of our house,” Ellidy said.

Ellidy Pullin and daughter Minnie, eight months, in Europe. Photo: supplied

“I feel like they’re already connected. Sometimes I think he’s inside her looking out of her eyes, because she has his exact eyes. It’s amazing.

“Minnie’s very alert for an 8 month old, she doesn’t get that from me. I think she has his soul.”

Ellidy is determined not to raise their daughter in grief, choosing instead to celebrate Chumpy, listening to his music every day with Minnie.

“I don’t shy away from talking about him,” she said.

“I want Minnie to be raised on love and happiness not grief and sadness. I want to empower her by being the most pure walking talking example of someone who finds comfort in their own skin, takes risks, speaks out and lives unapologetically.

“And most of all never forgets how to find their smile and have a good time, especially when life gets hard sometimes. I can’t wait to see who Minnie becomes.”

Olympic snow boarder Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin and his girlfriend Ellidy Vlug (Picture: Justin Lloyd)

Ellidy and Minnie are currently travelling Europe, tickets gifted to them by close friends, DJ Paul Fisher and wife Chloe, for Ellidy’s 30th birthday – they are some of the many close friends and families that have surrounded her since Minnie was born.

The couple live in Ibiza for five months and Ellidy considers herself “Minnie’s plus one” as they travel to join them, because of how much everyone around her loves her daughter.

But solo parenting has still been a challenge at times because of the moments she can’t share with Chumpy.

“The teething nights are definitely the hardest, and just having no relief as a solo parent in those moments,” Ellidy said. “The giggles in the morning make it all worth it though.”

They recently shot their first campaign together, with Ellidy signing as the face of Bonds Damn Dry Undies, in awe of what her body has been capable of.

Ellidy Pullin, with Minnie, is the face of Bonds Damn Dry Undies campaign. Photo: Supplied

“Doing this campaign with Bonds was the first time I didn’t prepare my body like crazy before a shoot. I knew if I was holding Minnie I’d feel confident,” she said.

When it comes to the future, Ellidy responded: “Truthfully, I don’t really even look into the future. Not in a negative way, I’m a super positive person and I know my future will be bright.”

“Maybe I’ll have another baby one day down the track, but if I think about it too much I get saddened that it won’t be with Chump, and he can’t be here to make more memories or experience what we wanted too, together. I’ve always been a big kid in that I just enjoy the moment and kinda live a very happy-go-lucky lifestyle … that’s what Chump always said he loved about me but equally p----d him off because he was a way more serious, professional, had-his-life-together kinda person, and I’m always just like “it’ll all work out”. Anyway, that hasn’t changed.”