Page 13: Jestinta Franklin describes husband ‘Buddy’ as being her rock

Model Jesinta Franklin has praised her AFL star husband “Buddy” for being her rock through difficult times and described her pregnancy so far as being like a 12-week hangover.

Jesinta Franklin has described the first trimester of pregnancy as “like the worst hangover times 1000 for 12 weeks straight”.

The model mum this week announced she and AFL star partner Lance “Buddy” Franklinwere expecting their first child.

“I have been so unwell,” Franklin said, attending Myer’s Spring Style Edit event at Mural Hall.

“It’s been awful. I haven’t been able to do anything, even just going down to the shops … I haven’t done any grocery shopping. For the first time in our marriage the fridge and pantry are empty.”

Jesinta Franklin. Picture: Alex Coppel

In announcing her pregnancy, 28-year-old Franklin referenced the difficult journey it had been.

Expanding on that, she said she felt a sense of responsibility to be honest about the difficulties she had encountered.

“Because I had struggled to fall pregnant and there had been losses along the way, as a woman who had been through that I felt like I was doing so many couples a disservice to come out and say, ‘Surprise, we are pregnant,’ because I know that would make me feel even worse about our pregnancy journey.

“I wanted other women to find comfort in the fact that this was not a surprise. It really was an effort and took us a long time.”

Jesinta and Swans champ Buddy were married in a private ceremony in the Blue Mountains in 2016.

Lance and Jesinta Franklin. Picture: Getty Images

She thanked her husband for being her rock in recent years. Buddy played his 300th game last weekend when the Swans triumphed over St Kilda.

“I’m not old by any means and I think there’s this misconception that it is only older people that struggle to fall pregnant but it is young women as well,” she explained. “Bud has been amazing. I could not have got through the last 2½ years without his support.

“He has just been so strong for me and when I wasn’t so strong, he really was my rock. He is going to be an amazing father.”

The couple have found out the baby’s gender but are doing their best to keep it a secret.

Franklin warned other women to educate themselves in their fertility options.

“I’m so passionate about women following their dreams and having careers but we also have to realise that we need to educate ourselves on our fertility,” she said.

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As for her body changing, the mother-to-be joked she “is very top-heavy”.

“There are lots of different stretch marks that I didn’t have before and I’ve noticed some cellulite and I’ve gone up a few sizes but I could put on 100kg and have a body covered in stretch marks and it would not bother me at all,” she said. “My physical appearance and how I look means nothing to me in comparison to having a baby and starting a family.”

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