Georgia Jones on the secrets of her marriage to The Voice star Danny, mum guilt and creating a new McFly

Georgia Jones is the wife of McFly star, Danny Jones, and mum to the couple’s adorable little boy Cooper, six. But Georgia is also an entrepreneur in her own right - and co-hosts a brilliantly honest parenting podcast, Mum’s the Word. Here the stunning model and former Miss England talks parenting, juggling motherhood and self-love, the secrets to her 15-year union with The Voice coach Danny, and her new role as an ambassador of Belvoir Farm...

Georgia, your hubby Danny has landed a coaching role on The Voice - how did you react?

Danny originally started on The Voice Kids and now he’s on the main Voice, which was his end goal. I’m so proud of how hard he worked to get there. What’s great is that now Cooper can go and watch his dad. Before, when Danny joined The Voice Kids, it was straight after I’d had Cooper. I’d given birth five days before and he had to go back to work, so I was left home alone.

How did you and Giovanna [Fletcher] feel when it was revealed that Danny and Tom would be sharing a chair?

So excited. But we also jokingly cheered, here’s to ‘happy solo parenting’! Both Gi and I are career women, so it’s quite a juggle when the boys are so busy. What’s gorgeous is that the McFly boys are genuinely best friends. From the day they started until now, they’ve been solid. I never hear Danny laugh the way he does when he’s with the boys.

You and Danny have been together a long time. What’s your secret?

Yes, 15 years, and something that’s really important for a successful marriage is time apart, it keeps the relationship fresh. We’ve always said that - as long as we’ve been together, we’ve always enjoyed our separate times because when we’ve reunited it’s even nicer. Communication is key, as well. It’s something we had to relearn after having a baby - it’s just constant resentment at the other partner for not doing enough, even though they are. But in the end it all comes together if you keep talking to each other.

Your Insta feed’s all about the realities of motherhood - are you passionate about that?

After I had Cooper, it was only until I was out of the thick of it that I realised without a doubt that I’d had postnatal depression. But when I was in it, I wasn’t aware at all. It’s only when you start to see the light that you realise the darkness that you were in. You just coast through the early stages of motherhood. A lot of mums do and don’t really realise that’s what’s happening.

Motherhood is wonderful but also one of the hardest jobs…

Someone said to me ‘you need to fill up your own cup,’ because if your cup’s empty, you’re no good for anyone. For a long time I was running at probably less than 50%, and doing everything with half the energy. I was half the mum, half the career woman, half the friend, and I was trying to do it all but not really feeling like I was being successful in any of it.

Do you ever get ‘mum guilt’?

You can’t help but feel guilty sometimes, for taking that time out for yourself. It's your mother’s instinct to feel that guilt but it shouldn’t be a thing - dads don’t feel guilty, so why do mums? It’s just that the modern world is not set up for working mums, it’s as simple as that.

You co-host a podcast called Mum’s the Word, where you explore subjects like surrogacy, miscarriages, and misconceptions of birth…

There are so many topics that are really important to talk about, especially when it comes to maternal and mental health. When I was pregnant seven years ago, there wasn’t anyone talking about how it can be hard.

How was your own experience of having children?

There was nobody to tell me, ‘you might not feel that instant love,’ ‘you might feel down afterwards,’ ‘you are going to be exhausted,’ and that sleep deprivation is basically a form of torture. There were no public or social media figures after I’d given birth telling me ‘this is all going to happen,’ but it’s ‘all going to be OK in the end,’ and ‘there will be better days.’ For me not to feel that instant love with Cooper when I first had him, I felt like a failure - and that was a huge part of my postnatal depression. On the other hand, I don’t want expectant and new mums to think it’s all doom and gloom.

You show the happier sides, too…

Yes, whilst always keeping it real. And keeping it like, ‘it’s [motherhood] gorgeous and lovely and I love my child,’ but nothing’s perfect. Some mums do that on social media - they make everything look like it’s perfect, and I don’t like that. Because it’s not, and nothing ever is. No part of life is perfect and wonderful all the time.

You and Danny welcomed Cooper six years ago, and he’s a regular fixture on both your social medias. Think he’ll follow in mum or dad’s footsteps?

Cooper’s at the most gorgeous stage now, he’s six. Such a little personality and very, very into his singing. It’s so interesting when you watch the other McFly children. Kit, Harry’s little boy, is unbelievable on the guitar, as are Tom and Gi’s little lads, so I think there’s definitely a band in the making there.

How does he get along with the rest of the McFly kids?

It’s always really nice when the boys [McFly] do summer shows because they have a great backstage area and all the kids just get together. It’s lovely because while they don’t see each other all the time, they’re instantly drawn together by the connection of their dads and the music. They all have to have their guitars with them, too.

Does Cooper realise dad is famous?

I don’t think he does, or really understands what fame is. When Danny was on The Masked Singer, we watched it every week, as a family. Every time Danny performed in disguise, Cooper would say, ‘Daddy, that’s GOT to be you!’ But we didn’t say a word.

You’re a Belvoir Farm ambassador and are you helping them celebrate 40 years of their elderflower harvest and cordial - tell us more…

It just felt like a really good collaboration. I grew up in a flower nursery, so my entire life was spent amongst flowers. My dad was a third-generation florist, and obviously the elderflower is the harvest Belvoir Farm does to create the cordial. Which is gorgeous.

What will you be getting up to?

As well as some harvesting - and calling on the local community to join in the elderflower picking with me on 5 June - I’m hosting a tea party, which will be great fun. Unfortunately, some of the McFly girls can’t come - Izzy and Gi are both busy working, but I’ve got some other lovely friends joining who can’t wait to get stuck in.

To find out more about the Belvoir Farm 2024 Elderflower Harvest, visit www.belvoirfarm.co.uk/elderflower-harvest/get-involved.