Vicky Pattison has declared that becoming a mum matters more than creating polished bikini photographs.
The 38-year-old shared the candid message on Instagram after followers praised her holiday body.
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Vicky Pattison explains her fitness focus
Vicky compared her first holiday bikini image, taken at the start of the holiday, with a photograph taken after returning home.
One showed her wearing a high-waisted striped bikini, while the later picture featured white lingerie.
She said her body looked different after her break, but stressed that weight naturally fluctuates.
“First bikini picture on holiday versus my first picture of my bod at home…,” she captioned the post. “I got loads of lovely messages about my posts when I was away: ‘Your figure!’, ‘omg girl, you can tell you’ve been working out!’ Etc… and whereas I love you all and these messages are lush.. I just wanted to be very real with you all for a second.”
She then continued, writing: “I have always worked out, but this year I upped the ante, for a couple of reasons- but mainly because I want to have a baby. And I want to be as strong and capable as possible if and when that time comes.
“Glamorous and posey bikini pictures were not the goal… motherhood is. And while it’s lovely to be able to feel good about my body on holiday (as women, we all know how hard that can be) I just wanted you to know that these [bleepy] pictures are a lot of smoke and mirrors.. great swimwear, carefully curated, unnatural and normally [bleeping] uncomfortable poses, skinny mirrors, good angles, a great spray tan… the list goes on.”
Vicky on motherhood
The star then continued, saying that she “unashamedly” enjoyed her holiday by eating and drinking whatever she wanted. She added that she will never feel “guilt” about doing that.
“Life is for living, and we all know just how precious and short it can be… so yeah, my body does look a bit different now to how it did when I went away… and that’s ok. Bodies change, weight fluctuates… and THAT’S OK! I think what I’m trying to say is never allow someone’s holiday pictures, vacation snaps or social media posts to make you question your own worth and beauty… because it’s probably all [bleep] anyway,” she said.
She rounded off her caption by writing: “We’re all lovely just the way we are.. our lumps and bumps, our soft tummies, our saggy bums… whatever it is! Don’t let anyone’s filtered life make you love your real one any less.”
Fans and followers flooded the comment section with support. “Love you babe. Xx,” Angela Scanlon wrote.
“Thanks for keeping it real gurlllll,” another follower said. “You always keep it real & that’s what I admire about you,” a third gushed.
Vicky Pattison discusses her fertility journey
Vicky also discussed her fertility struggles during a recent BBC podcast appearance.
On Sort Your Life Out Unpacked, she said she had not felt ready for motherhood until recently.
Now, she and Ercan are trying to start a family without placing too much pressure on themselves.
Vicky later admitted: “I didn’t think I’d be this age without a baby or a family.”
She began freezing her eggs at 35 after deciding to take greater control of her fertility. The treatment resulted in three embryos being frozen, which she said provided some reassurance.
She also expressed hope that fertility treatment could become more affordable and accessible.
In 2025, Vicky told Women’s Health UK that post-wedding pressure around having children felt suffocating.
She acknowledged that egg freezing remains beyond many women’s budgets.
Read more: Vicky Pattison’s sister reveals secret cancer battle: ‘It had spread too far’
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