Lindy Klim on life after Michael
LINDY Klim thought she was “done and dusted” with children after her high-profile marriage ended. Now she is readying for baby number four — and finding joy in her new blended family.
Stellar
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LINDY Klim is being kicked in the ribs.
“Ouch,” she says, as she twists around and uncrosses her legs to try to get more comfortable.
Nothing works. “It’s clearly an English baby because it whinges a lot,” Klim tells Stellar with a laugh. “It moves so much, kicks violently and is really fussy about what I eat. No meat, nothing spicy and I can’t be around alcohol.”
Klim gets some relief when she hoists herself onto the arm of the sofa. “That’s better,” she sighs, smiling at her fiance, British property developer Adam Ellis.
It’s been a busy 18 months for Klim, whose fourth baby — and Ellis’s first — is due on Christmas Eve. The 39-year-old separated from Olympic swimmer Michael Klim in February last year, met Ellis shortly after, became engaged last October and fell pregnant in March. She agrees it has been a whirlwind, but with a milestone 40th birthday approaching, Klim figured time was not on her side if they wanted to have a child together.
“I was so done and dusted with three kids,” Klim explains, “but Adam doesn’t have children so we thought having one together would complete our family. Adam has been so amazing with the kids — we thought it’d be nice to see what a miniature Adam would look like.”
Ellis, 41, originally moved to Bali, where Klim lives, to set up a property business and surf. He tells Stellar he always wanted kids but had come to accept it might not happen. Then he was introduced to Klim, and quickly formed a bond with her children, Stella, 11, Rocco, nine, and Frankie, six. “Kids are so magnetic and easy to love,” Ellis says. “When I saw the scan of our baby with its tiny little nose, I became obsessed. I couldn’t stop telling everyone about my baby’s nose.”
He’s already the doting dad, says Klim. “I’ll be lying on the couch with my feet up and he’ll be sitting there with the baby book open. It’s nice having a child with someone who is going through it for the first time. He’s so interested and caring and wants to know everything about it.” Ellis jumps in: “Lindy’s a week ahead of what the baby book says. The doctor says our baby is advanced.”
Klim laughs in response to Ellis’s crack; their easygoing rapport is probably a relief to her. After what were a fraught few years as she and Michael struggled to fix their ailing marriage, the model, businesswoman and Balinese princess is thrilled to have found love again.
“Adam’s so funny,” she says. “He has the whole family in stitches. I didn’t think it would happen so soon after the separation. I thought we’d have a lot of issues with the whole blended family thing, but it’s been a dream. I come from a divorced family and my stepdad has been in my life since I was three, so it’s an easy thing for me to get my head around.”
Taking on a ready-made family is never easy, but Ellis appears to have fitted seamlessly into Klim’s domestic life. He drives the kids to school, particularly when his fiancee was battling morning sickness, and has adapted to being woken by Frankie, who sometimes prefers to sleep with her mum. “I see Lindy and the kids as one,” he says. “You don’t have to have defences with children — they just want to have fun with you.”
He’s also enthusiastic about their individual characters and passions: Stella enjoys swimming just like her dad, Rocco is a keen tennis player and Frankie is showing considerable talent in gymnastics. “She’s really good,” he remarks proudly. “If her intensity continues, it’ll be interesting to see where she goes with it.” The only downside to a busy family life is he surfs less now.
As harmonious as their domestic life sounds, there has been tension between the two Klim camps as the pair have embarked on new relationships while sharing custody of their children.
When Michael’s girlfriend Desiree Deravi drew criticism on Instagram for posting pictures with her boyfriend’s children, the ex-swimmer accused Lindy of trolling via a fake account. “We know it’s you @lindyklim so just stop with the trolling it’s pathetic you’re a grown women (sic) and stop being so disrespectful.”
Asked how it feels to watch another woman post pictures of her children, Klim words her reply carefully: “Initially it was hurtful, but if they want to do it there is nothing to stop them. With social media, it becomes difficult; there’s a grey area of what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable. We try to be conscious and aware of other people’s feelings. The kids are so happy and I’m quite surprised that throughout this whole thing, they seem OK with everything. There have been so many big changes in their little lives, but it’s gone quite smoothly.”
Nevertheless, Klim and Ellis have taken the precaution of having couples’ counselling as they build their new family. “It’s nice to bounce off thoughts with someone else,” says Klim. “It’s pre-emptive; I didn’t want to get to the point where we needed help, and in Bali there’s no stigma — everyone has someone helping them with something.”
So far, Klim says they have learnt “that conscious uncoupling is a good thing... but it’s not for everybody. We can only control what’s happening in our space.” Ellis agrees: “Even if we fail, at least we’re trying our best.”
Following her separation from Michael — they are now divorced — Klim was adamant she wouldn’t marry again. But, she says, Ellis proved irresistible. “I realised I wanted to marry him, and I wanted us to be a complete family.”
But when it came to the proposal, Klim failed to spot the cues. She and Ellis were on holiday in the Moroccan desert, and each time he suggested a romantic meal or walk, she would be keen for something else. They finally went for a morning hike up a mountain, where Ellis presented her with a gorgeous Pomellato ring. It was far from glamorous, Klim reflects with a laugh: “I wasn’t expecting a proposal and Adam comes across like Hugh Grant when he’s nervous! I hadn’t had a shower and I was wearing Birkenstocks and one of Adam’s shirts.”
While the couple are planning a small wedding early next year with family and close friends, Klim wants something other than their usual casual island vibe — she’s plumping for a ceremony in Europe, somewhere like the south of France, Spain or Italy’s Lake Como. She’d love designer Toni Maticevski, a friend, to make outfits for everyone — even the baby. “I’m thinking something that looks like a Dolce & Gabbana campaign — all styled and completely immaculate.”
One conundrum is whether she’ll change her surname. As a child, Klim remembers feeling left out when her mum remarried — she ended up being the only one in the family who was not only half-Asian but also had a different name. She’s mindful of her children’s feelings and is known professionally as Klim. But she will soon launch her first clothing collection — resort wear line Rama Voyage will be available online from early next year — and has considered reverting to Lindy Rama (her maiden name) in conjunction.
The new baby will have Ellis’s surname, but he says he won’t be bothered if she changes her name. “I’m not traditional that way,” he shrugs, “and my parents thought I was going to be the eternal bachelor. They’re just grateful to Lindy for taking on the challenge.”
The couple will return to Melbourne for the birth, where they’ll rely on the same obstetrician who delivered Klim’s previous babies. She’s hoping for another trouble-free labour but admits to trepidation as she waited for the results of screening tests this time round. “I had my other children in my 20s and early 30s, so I was worried being nearly 40 that something could go wrong. It’s definitely more stressful.”
They haven’t found out the gender of the baby but, perhaps unsurprisingly, Stella and Frankie are hoping for a girl while Rocco would like a boy. Ellis is happy with either, though he agrees with Rocco’s wily conclusion that a boy would even up the numbers. As for names, Klim is gently trying to steer her fiance away from his preference for traditional English names. “He likes George and Barnaby,” she laughs. “Barnaby!”
Whatever they decide, Klim will be content. “I’m very go-with-the-flow and Adam’s the same, so it works really well. It could go terribly wrong — the blind leading the blind — but it’s nice to have a sense of freedom and easiness.”
Lindy Klim’s fashion label, ramavoyage.com.
