IT'S hard to believe that the busy mum-of-four gave birth to her daughter Ella Rose four months ago.
HOT: Atomic Kitten star Natasha Hamilton reveals her weight loss secret [PH]
And the 32-year-old has recently ditched her famous fiery red hair in favour of a glossy brunette 'do.
"I'm loving the new colour," she told us. "I've been wanting to change my hair for quite a while now and I've not been dark for many years.
"At first it was a bit of a shock but now the colour has settled in I love it."
When we catch up with the gorgeous pop star, she's just got back from a romantic weekend in the Lake District with her 5ive beau Ritchie Neville, 35.
"Rich and I got to catch up with a few friends that we haven't seen in a while and have a little bit of us time," she gushes.
LOVED UP: Natasha is dating 5ive hunk Ritchie Neville [TWITTER]
The couple, who met in 2013 on ITV2 reality show The Big Reunion, have been busy gigging with their respective bands and caring for their brood.
"Ella Rose is a complete mix of me and Rich," Natasha tells us.
"She's got her daddy's chin and mouth and my nose and cheeks. She's got my eye shape but Ritchie's eye colour.
"Her hair will be dark but with a red tint. She's a total mix!"
Smitten Natasha, who is mum to Josh, 12, Harry, ten, and Alfie, four, from another relationship, takes time out from breastfeeding and nappy changing to talk exercise, going on tour and wedding plans.
CUTE: Natasha says daughter Ella Rose is a 'total mix' of her and Ritchie [WENN]
Keeping fit is a big part of daily life for me. Even if I can just get 20 minutes in. I always feel much better when I've had a workout. Also, I have a good, healthy balanced diet. We're big foodies in this house. It's important the children eat well. The slow cooker is my best friend.
How did you lose the baby weight after having Ella Rose?
I think breast feeding had a lot to do with it. You burn 500 calories a day just breastfeeding. I couldn't do any crash diets, that's not how I like to diet. I wasn't eating so many carbs replacing them with a hell of a lot of vegetables. Lots of sweet potatoes and fish. I love juicing as well, it’s a great way to get all those fruit and veg into your diet in a quicker way.
Did you feel under pressure to lose weight quickly?“Keeping fit is a big part of daily life for me”Natasha Hamilton
I set myself a goal, that I'd like to drop one dress size by Christmas. You've got to be realistic. There's stresses and strains on you as a new parent anyway. Why put more strain on yourself? My target was all about feeling good and dropping one dress size, which I achieved and that was great.
I live in the countryside so there's not that many gyms around here. But working out at home has been fantastic. I've set up a little gym. We've got a room where I've put some spongy floor down. I workout from a fitness website. They have about 50 classes to chose from so you never get bored. I try and do it when Ella’s sleeping but if she decides not to sleep, I’ll just stick her in a little bouncy chair and she’ll just watch me and giggle away.
FIT: Natasha squeeze 20 minute workouts into her busy schedule [PH]
It was the most amazing experience of my life. It was just a mind-blowing experience. I know this sounds crazy but as soon as I’d had her I wished I could do it again. It was just unbelievable bringing her into the world at home and then going to rest in my own bed afterwards. It was fantastic.
Sounds great. You hit headlines afterwards for eating your placenta. Why did you do that?It was something that my midwife told me about placenta encapsulation. Someone comes and collects it, dehydrates it and adds some Chinese herbs. They put it in capsules so you take between three and six a day. It's to help bring in your milk supply and I was going to be breastfeeding anyway so I thought, "Well, fantastic". It can also help against post-natal depression. And for me, that’s something I had in the past and it was a no-brainer to take it.
Did it taste weird?
It had absolutely no taste whatsoever. As I say, it was in a little capsule. I took it with water. And obviously, depending on the size of the placenta, you only get so many. I think my placenta made 96 capsules.
FAMILY: Natasha says she wouldn't rule out having more children in the future [TWITTER]
Fantastic. We've just got back from a nice little romantic getaway. Don't get me wrong, I really missed the kids, but it's important to give us time though. That’s really the first thing we’ve done together without the baby. It was long overdue.
Is Ritchie a hands-on dad?
Yes he is. He really gets involved, he's great. We make a really good team. We’re also starting to be more intuitive with each other. Like, I'll know that he’s really tired then I’ll do the night feeds or vice versa. We kind of balance it out. We give each other that support.
Has Ella Rose brought you closer?100%. Definitely. We were really close anyway but I think just going through that whole birth experience does bring you closer. You just realise what an amazing achievement you have and what a fantastic bond we’ll all have for the rest of our lives.
Do you want any more children?
In the future possibly but at the moment we’re just concentrating on Ella and the boys.
Does Richie get on well with Josh, Harry and Alfie?
The boys absolutely adore him. They've all got their own little bits that they like to do with him.
Are you planning to get married soon?
No plans at the moment but it’s something we talk about and it will happen. We’ve just got no plans yet.
Would you like a big wedding?
No. I don’t think I would. Just something quite small, intimate, with the children, close family and yeah, maybe abroad. I’m liking the feel of something abroad, but we’ll see.
BAND: Natasha poses with her Atomic Kitten bandmates Kerry and Liz [TWITTER]
(Laughs) Yep. This year’s gonna be crazy because he’s on tour, I’m on tour, I’m in Germany for a while, I’ve got the UK tour and lots of other bits and bobs coming up so let’s just not put any other unnecessary stress on us.
Atomic Kitten are celebrating their 15th anniversary this year. Can you believe it's been that long?No. It feels like a different lifetime. It feels like it’s just gone in the blink of an eye. But all these years later we’re getting the opportunity to go on tour, it’s a great testament to our fans and we’re really excited.
So you're all looking forward to it?
Cannot wait. Can’t wait to get into rehearsals, we won’t start rehearsals for a few months but we are excited. We're getting giddy thinking about what costumes to wear and what the set list will be.
Will Ella be coming on tour with you?
I think so. She’s used to travelling anyway, we went to see Rich on tour last year when she was about three weeks old. I don't want to travel her too far afield. Rich and I will plan it as obviously there's three boys who need looking after as well.
Are you still close to bandmates Liz McClarnon and Kerry Katona?
I love the girls to bits. We’re always emailing, texting, talking. We still gig. We've already made plans for Mother’s Day. We’re going out with our mums in London, which will be lovely.
Do you and Kerry swap baby tips?
It’s baby, baby, baby when we’re all together. Kerry was talking about how DJ's teething. Ella's been in terrible pain with her teeth, bless her. Probably teething worse than the boys ever did.
What would you say to your kids if they wanted to be popstars too?
I’d give them the honest truth of how it’s not all glitz and glam. It’s a lot of hard work and I suppose, deep down inside, I’d probably prefer it if they didn’t because it is quite cut-throat. The music industry is so tough. But, on the flip side, if that’s what she wanted to do, I would support her but I think I’d be able to give her a realistic view on how it all works.
