Flooded with love, Lucy Durack is simply beaming. The star of stage and screen is now a mum of two – having welcomed her beautiful baby son, Theodore Lindsay, into the world.
EXCLUSIVE: Quick Questions with Lucy Durack and husband Chris Horsey
“I’m absolutely thrilled,” says Australia’s Got Talent judge and former star of mega-musical Wicked, as she cradles her 3.78kg ray of sunshine in her arms.
“I feel such a lot of happiness and love, as well as relief that he is here and that he is healthy and doing well.”
Together with her performer, director and choreographer husband, Chris Horsey, 47, Lucy is in no rush to come back down to earth. Nor, for that matter, is Theodore’s doting big sister – Lucy and Chris’ “absolutely besotted” adorable 4-year-old daughter, Polly.
“Polly came in to the hospital with my mum the night Theodore was born to meet him,” says Lucy, 36. “He hadn’t even opened his eyes yet, but she held him – and then he opened his eyes for the very first time to look up at her. It was so special. Polly just keeps saying ‘He’s my very own brother! Just MY brother!’”
With Polly’s birth “a bit of a last-minute caesar”, says Lucy, “it was suggested that I have a caesarean again with Theodore.
“And it all happened quite quickly,” she reveals. “I was nervous, but Chris was able to be there with me and then we all got to see Theodore together.
“I also have the most beautiful obstetrician, and she was wonderful, along with so many beautiful nurses who have been helping us so much.”
Not surprisingly, too, Lucy was overcome by emotions of the very best kind when she held her son for the first time.
“There were just real, overwhelming tears of happiness, like when I had Polly,” says Lucy. “And Chris has been brilliant. I wasn’t able to move after the caesar, but Chris was very hands-on and nailed the first dirty nappy change, which was in the middle of the night!”
Asked who little Theodore looks like, Lucy doesn’t hesitate.
“He has dark hair and dark blue eyes and is so much like Chris,” she says, before adding with a laugh, “Polly is very much like me, so we both have a mini-me now!”
How did Lucy and Chris, who knew that they were having a boy, settle on their son’s name, Theodore Lindsay?
“Lindsay is my grandad’s name,” explains Lucy. “My grandad’s turning 90 in November and has been a very, very special person in my life. He’s a beautiful, kind soul and I’ve always had a really strong connection with him.”
“And about two months ago, Chris came home one day and said, ‘How about Theodore [for the first name]?’ and it just felt right,” says Lucy.
“We also went through all the nicknames he may get when he goes to school – Theo, Ted, Teddy – and we were like, ‘Yep! We’re happy with all of them!’
“We loved the name and it really suits him already. He’s a distinguished little fella!”
Certainly, too, there’s a chance that both Polly and Theodore might one day follow their talented parents into the world of entertainment.
“If they wanted to, then I wouldn’t stop them,” reflects mum Lucy.
“But at the same time, I think Chris and I are very keen to give them as many opportunities in as many different fields as possible. I don’t want them, just by default, getting into the entertainment industry. I do think you really need to have a drive and passion for it, as it can be a tricky industry to navigate.”
As for Lucy – who later this year will return to the stage to play Princess Fiona, alongside actor Ben Mingay, in the John Frost production Shrek The Musical – she is ready to embark on life as a family of four.
“We’re just in this little bubble now where it’s all about Theodore – changing him, feeding him and cuddling him,” says Lucy. “I just want to relish this time.”
For more, see this week’s New Idea – out now!
EXCLUSIVE: Behind the Scenes footage of Lucy Durack’s family photoshoot