Xpose star Karen Koster has told how she hopes her baby arrives this year – but won’t be a “martyr” and refuse an epidural.
The TV3 presenter is due to give birth three days before Christmas, and told Goss.ie she is extremely “open minded” about being given pain relief.
But Karen admitted that it is a change from her original thinking of wanting husband John McGuire to be “proud” of her.
She told Goss.ie: “Hopefully the baby arrives this year, but once it just comes out healthy I don’t really care how long I’ve to wait to be honest.
New team: Karen and Peter will be presenting – along with Aisling and Lisa | BRIAN MCEVOY
“If I had broken my leg I wouldn’t leave the hospital saying, ‘No thanks I won’t take the crutches’. I’m very open minded about pain relief in the labour ward.
“Initially I was being a bit of a martyr thinking, ‘I want to be a soldier and I want John to be so proud of me,’ but why would I make it traumatic for myself?
“With everything through this pregnancy, I’m constantly asking questions and being open-minded. I’ll see what happens on the day.”
Now though Karen – who is fronting the new-look, hour-long Xpose with ex-TMZ jock Peter O’Riordan – knows it will be “weird” seeing a pregnant her on screens.
Loved-up: Karen and her husband John | VIPIRELAND.COM
She said: “It’s weird seeing yourself on TV, I’m trying to look semi decent on screen and now that there’ll be someone else in studio who you can compare me to, I’m telling Peter he can’t go and get lean on me or lose much weight.
“I was sort of working out in the beginning but that fell by the way side with the Xpose changes lately.”
And Karen revealed that bizarrely she has started looking better and lost weight on her face since announcing her pregnancy earlier this year.
She added: “I’ve swapped my wine calories for other food so I’m not being too strict.
“I’ve actually lost weight in my face, because you’re not having alcohol – it’s bizarre.
Semi-decent: Karen has told Peter not to outshine her | BRIAN MCEVOY
“Obviously you don’t lose weight, but you’re eating very healthily and burning up calories by making the baby, so it’s strange.
“It’s all so new for me and I feel a bit like a science experiment. I’m not really working out at all.”
Now Xpose will soon have to start looking for someone to replace Karen when she goes off on maternity leave later in the year for six months.
But the TV star couldn’t care less about who ends up replacing her and joins the rest of the girls.
Blase: Karen is happy with whoever is her replacement | BRIAN MCEVOY
She insisted: “It’s part of the territory – people coming in to the team and being there when you’re not to fill in. I’m not going to be leaving thinking, ‘Oh God who’s going to be doing my job when I get back?’
“I don’t feel that way. It’s great having a guy in though, I like having a man’s perspective on stuff and you can have different banter with a guy in studio than you can with a girl.
“We can kind of slag each other in a certain way that a girl can’t because they’d look catty and Peter is brilliant taking the mick out of people.”
