Holly Hagan's life has changed quite dramatically compared to the wild Geordie Shore early days of practically living in nightclubs. While she’s still part of the show, her main focus now is being a mum to her 15-month-old son, Alpha Jax. She and her husband Jacob Blyth are also business partners and Holly, 32, reveals that with parenthood and running their fitness app Team Fitty, their marriage often comes last on their list of priorities. “We did have six years of memories of what life’s like just together before business and before the baby,” she says. “We know the love is there but it can be a lot.”
As well as discussing the struggles of navigating a demanding business with her personal life, Holly is keen to talk about her health. Earlier this year, she was diagnosed with profound hearing loss, after finding it increasingly difficult to hear conversations in noisy settings. She now proudly wears a hearing aid. “When you’re in an environment and having to ask people to repeat themselves like once, twice, three times – it’s just so awkward,” she tells OK!. “Some people need glasses and there isn’t a stigma around glasses, so there shouldn’t be around hearing loss.” Here, Holly chats about the new series of Geordie Shore and why she’s content to be a family of three…
The Challenges of Balancing Motherhood and Business
Holly openly shares the challenges of juggling her roles as a mother, business partner, and wife. She recognizes the significant responsibility that comes with motherhood and the sacrifices involved in building a successful business. “It’s just one of those things where I don’t think anyone truly fathoms the decision that you’re making when you choose to have a child. It gives you something to live for. It gives you something to focus on. Mine’s definitely not a child who likes to just sit and do nothing. He is a wild child,” she says.
The demands of running Team Fitty, their fitness app, take up a significant portion of their time, leaving little room for romantic outings. “It’s so hard because we’re parents first and then we’re also business partners second and then thirdly we are a married couple. As much as we spend a lot of time together, a lot of it is on the business – 90% of our time we’re literally working. Every now and again, we try to get out for a meal,” she explains.
Their commitment to both their family and business has led them to reconsider expanding their family. Holly candidly admits that “If we had another kid, either our marriage wouldn’t survive, our business wouldn’t survive – or I just simply wouldn’t survive!” The demands of pregnancy, recovery, and maintaining her fitness levels for Team Fitty make it a difficult decision to consider having another child.
Opening Up About Hearing Loss
Holly’s journey with hearing loss began with difficulties in noisy settings. “It’s been going on for such a long time now and I was starting to avoid certain social situations where I knew that I was going to have to just work extremely hard to constantly have to try to decipher what people are saying before they’re going to say it,” she explains.
She believes her frequent exposure to loud nightclubs throughout her career has played a role in her hearing loss. “Yeah, I mean I’ve been in the nightclubs since I was 14 and our meeting point was always by the speaker, so I can’t really put the blame on Geordie Shore only! Aside from Geordie Shore, we were also doing club appearances – more nightclubs. It was just an accumulation of all of those different things,” she shares.
The Importance of Normalizing Hearing Aids
Holly champions a positive attitude towards hearing loss and encourages the normalization of hearing aids. “When you’re in an environment and having to ask people to repeat themselves like once, twice, three times – it’s just so awkward,” she admits. “Some people need glasses and there isn’t a stigma around glasses, so there shouldn’t be around hearing loss,” she emphasizes.
The New Season of Geordie Shore
Holly reveals that the upcoming season of Geordie Shore will be full of drama. She emphasizes the authenticity of the show and the dynamics within the cast. “I think the thing is with Geordie Shore, it’s all very real. We don’t dramatise things for no reason. It’s like a pressure cooker and things just happen. But we all tend to come out the other end of it every time,” she says.
She acknowledges her limited involvement in the season due to her new role as a mother. “I just had a baby. I wasn’t there very long,” she explains. She shares her perspective on the cast’s relationships and the dynamic they share. “You’ve only got the most things in common with a few people. It’s like at any workplace – you don’t keep in contact with everyone,” she adds.
A New Chapter for Holly
Holly's journey from her wild days on Geordie Shore to motherhood and running a successful business is inspiring. She’s embracing this new chapter in her life with a healthy dose of realism, humor, and resilience. She’s showcasing the challenges of navigating a complex life, while advocating for a more positive view on hearing loss and the importance of normalizing hearing aids.
Holly's story reminds us that life is a journey of growth and change, and the ability to adapt and embrace new challenges is what makes it exciting.
It’s a time of change and growth for Holly, but it's clear that she's embracing this new chapter with her usual mix of humor and determination. Her honesty about the challenges she faces serves as a reminder that even reality TV stars experience real-life difficulties, and her unwavering support for hearing aid users is a powerful message about breaking down stigmas and embracing individuality. As Holly continues to navigate her multifaceted life, her story is sure to continue inspiring viewers and fans.
