The Jackson Three

‘“WHEN I first heard her tiny yelp, I collapsed into tears and, when she continued crying, it dawned on me that she was going to be all right.”

‘Heard the one about John Leslie?’

No, not Lance talking about his wife Ulrika Jonsson. Nor Ulrika talking about Nancy Dell’Olio. But Ulrika talking about her new baby daughter, Martha Sky Hope.

Celebritydom’s answer to EastEnders’ Carol Jackson now has three children by three different fathers (divorced, ran, surviving), and wants the world to know it.

So she’s struck up a conversation with Hello! amid the tiger-print cushion covers of her home in Cookham Dean, Berkshire, dangled Martha on her knee and begun to tell all.

The reigning Celebrity Mum of The Year tells us that just two weeks before the birth date (Ulrika had a Caesarean) and, with mum-to-be’s foot in plaster, she and Lance discovered that Martha was breach.

“We just looked at each other and laughed,” says Ulrika. ‘What do we do for an encore?’ we thought.”

But, ever the pros, come back for more they did. And now get ready to laugh until your stitches hurt for a second time.

“When the operation was taking place, we had Van Morrison‘s Moondance playing in the background and Lance was singing along and trying to make light of the situation.”

Doubtless the nurses and midwifes sang along too, the surgeon inserting the scalpel as Van’s leaves fell off those trees, causing much merriment to all and perhaps inspiring the medical staff to shape Ulrika’s post-operative scar into a wide grin.

And then Martha was released, the Gerrard-Wright-Jonssons went home and it was time for Cameron and Bo, Ulrika’s children from two of her previous romances, to meet Martha.

“Cameron has suddenly grown up,” says Ulrika of that magic moment. “When he saw Martha he didn’t say anything. He just welled up with the wonder of it all.”

And gave a tiny yelp…’

Posted: 15th, July 2004 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink