As he prepares to welcome his second child with wife Sophie Church, Jake Quickenden makes it clear family is his top priority. The former X Factor star is feeling a mix of nerves and excitement for the new arrival, he says when we speak to him in an exclusive interview at the JustGiving Awards in London’s Roundhouse theatre. Jake already shares son Leo, three, with 31-year-old Sophie, and is stepdad to her son Freddie, who’s 10. “Before I got here, I was building a giant dollhouse for my little boy, I just love special moments like that,” beams Jake, 36, who is clearly a natural dad. However, it’s not all been plain sailing, as he admits becoming a father also sparked a whole new kind of nervousness in him. Here, the TV personality gives us an update on his soon-to-be family of five, reflects on his recent stint on Celebrity MasterChef and shares his love of charity work… Hi, Jake! Congratulations on Sophie’s pregnancy. How are you feeling? Thank you, I can’t wait. I can’t wait for no sleep again – I’ve only just started sleeping after three years and here we go again! But we’re both so excited. It’s another little boy and I was in the middle of two other brothers so I love being surrounded by boys and class myself as a good ‘boy dad’. We’ve not decided on a name yet but we are down to three and I think I know which one I’d choose. We originally liked Jude, but then everyone started calling their kids Jude after Jude Bellingham was in the Euros, so we let that one go! Ha! Do you think you’ve changed since becoming a dad? Honestly, being a dad has changed me so much for the better. The first time around, I was very scared. I didn’t know what I was doing! You have so many different opinions shot at you on social media and it’s intense. Nobody can prepare you for the baby stage. I remember just looking at my wife and asking, “What do we do now? How do we know what we’re doing?” I was so nervous. But this time I think I’ll be a little more laid back since I’ve done it before. As long as your baby’s happy, fed and smiling, you’re doing something right. How do you deal with all the opinions on social media? It’s hard. Leo was a really tiny baby, so there were a lot of people commenting on the way he looked and stuff like that, which was quite strange. I don’t understand who would comment on a baby but it’s the world we live in, unfortunately. Sign up to OK!’s daily newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free Are Freddie and Leo excited about being big brothers? They are so excited. Fred is such a lovely big brother to Leo and now Leo gets to be a big brother. Fred’s been a good role model for Leo, and hopefully, Leo can do the same for the baby. He is already so caring so I’m sure he will be. We are a blended family but it’s fairly easy. Fred still sees his dad and we get along. We will go to watch him and Fred play football together and there’s no issue. I don’t know if there’s gonna be any more children on the horizon. I’m sure after we settle with this one, there might be a bit of talk about one more. How has the pregnancy been for Sophie? It’s been terrible, bless her. She’s been so sick and tired, but she’s just getting on with it. I can’t really comment as a man, because we never get to feel what the ladies feel when they’re pregnant, but they’re growing a human at the end of the day. So, I’m just trying to help her as much as I can and keep Leo occupied. She’s a bit of a warrior, she still goes for walks and is still trying to go to the gym. Sometimes I’m like, “You just have to rest.” I’d like to say I cook a bit more at home to help her after MasterChef, but I definitely don’t – I buy more takeaways! What was it like on Celebrity MasterChef? It was intense! I loved being in the kitchen, but it was a bit scary – I never want to be in the kitchen again! It was just tough but also really good. It was probably the first reality show that I’ve done that I didn’t really want to win because I knew I couldn’t cook. Were the judges intimidating? Nah, I loved the judges! John Torode and Gregg Wallace were great and so supportive, even though I probably annoyed them quite a lot. It wasn’t like singing in front of Simon Cowell, so, I’ve had scarier judges! You’ve been a judge recently for the JustGiving charity awards. Tell us more… It’s been amazing and emotional. There are so many amazing people raising money for charities on JustGiving. It is really inspiring. We see a lot of negativity and bad things in the news, but it’s important to celebrate actual heroes and the people that do their bit and raise money. I’ve got to meet some amazing kids and I just hope that my little boys are like that and strive to help people and be better. These people are the true celebrities, the ones that make a difference. Jake was a judge at the GoCardless JustGiving Awards. He presented the Young Fundraiser Of The Year award to seven-year-old William Reckless who raised over £7,000 for Nottingham University Hospitals Charity
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