‘I'd tell my younger self to go easy on the fake tan'

Billie Shepherd on new-show nerves, a decade in the spotlight and why she won’t rule out another baby

It’s been over a decade since Billie Shepherd first hit our TV screens on TOWIE. But other than wishing she’d held back on the fake tan, she tells new she has no regrets about her time in the limelight.

“Everything has been such an amazing experience for me so I have enjoyed every stage,” Billie explains as we catch up over the phone.

Viewers loved being introduced to Billie’s adorable children – Nelly, now seven, and Arthur, now four – with husband Greg, 35, on The Mummy Diaries. And now, as her sister Sam Faiers, 30, steps away from the series with her partner Paul, 33, and their kids, Paul, five and three-year-old Rosie, the Shepherds are going it alone with a new show, The Family Diaries.

Here, Billie chats about being nervous ahead of the series, updates us on her house renovations and confirms she won’t rule out another baby…

Hi Billie! Congratulations on the news of your new show – are you excited?

Thank you! It’s kind of like a continuation of The Mummy Diaries, except it’s just us. We’re just filming a lot more, so it’s quite full-on, but I’m really excited. I’ll be really nervous on the launch of the show with it just being Greg and I!

Has it been weird filming without Sam?

Me and Samantha were saying recently, the last two series we barely filmed together at all because of lockdown. So it’s kind of eased me into filming just with my mum, Greg and the kids. So it’s not been as much of a shock to the system as it might have been.

Did the kids miss their cousins during lockdown?