Poppy Delevingne and Archie Keswick are pregnant

Delevingne beams as she tells the story at her kitchen table in her west London home. She is sleepy, partly because of her pregnancy and partly because she returned late last night from a last-minute trip with her partner, businessman Archie Keswick, and is now suffering from jet lag. “I’ve been awake since 5 a.m..” “I better get used to it,” she laughs heartily. “The 5 o’clock club… the only club I never wanted to join. “How times have changed.”

She jokes – aside from the scary side of impending motherhood, the 38-year-old says of the pregnancy: “It’s literally everything I’ve ever wanted.” “Yes, it’s a girl,” Delevingne confirms, her eyes watering.

“Of course I would have been fine with either and when I was younger I always thought if I got pregnant I wouldn’t find out, but when we were told we could find out we did. “I’m so excited . I come from all girls, we are very girly. Girls are great.’

Delevingne is, of course, the middle of the Delevingne sisters, younger than Chloe and older than Cara, who were absolutely overjoyed by the news. The sisters spent Christmas being excited together: “We were all in New York, with each other and with the bump, and we talked to the bump a lot and stroked the bump. “They’re just thrilled.”

Delevingne and Keswick kept the news to themselves for a while, only sharing it with their loved ones as they neared the four-month mark. “I always imagined that if that moment had ever happened to me, I would have told people,” she says. “But it was quite extraordinary, I became very tight-lipped about it. I think I just wanted to protect it more than anything.

“I think I was really nervous too. It just feels like an extraordinary privilege to be able to do this, to be able to have a baby at this age and at this time, and when it happened I couldn’t really believe it. It still feels really surreal.’

The reaction from her friends and family was mostly emotional. “The people closest to me know how much I’ve wanted this my whole life. I watched a lot of my friends do it, I have nine godchildren, I’m an aunt and I think they knew that I dreamed of becoming a mom since I was a little girl. There have been moments over the last few years when I thought maybe this wouldn’t happen to me. I had made peace with that. I think when we told people the news they were very emotional and happy.”

Of Keswick, who has two children from a previous marriage, Delevingne says he was “born to be a father” and praises how “incredible” he behaved during her pregnancy, along with her friends and family. “I really looked to my friends and the important women in my life really carried me through this time.” When women come together with this source of knowledge, it’s amazing. “I felt really supported, which just gave me such peace of mind.”

The couple have decided to publicly confirm the news now that Delevingne is six months pregnant because “there’s no hiding that bump anymore” and she is aware that she could be photographed at various upcoming work events. After spending her early pregnancy hiding any visible signs with “Michelin Men-style” coats and hibernating (“Babe, I’m in my sloth era”), she’s now embracing maternity style.

“I’ve spent the last two months cramming myself into everything, and it’s just not helping anyone.” When we meet, she’s wearing her trusty Madeline Thompson cashmere pants, an oversized high-neck navy sweater, and loves Chinti & Parker leggings and Lululemon. She bought jeans from Veronica Beard and FRAME a few sizes larger for days out of the house and a high-neck cotton dress in all colors from Eterne when she wants to show off her stomach.

The biggest change Delevingne has noticed during her pregnancy is sugar cravings. A self-professed “hearty girl,” she has developed a taste for cakes, ice cream, and “cookies of every shape and size.” She was lucky not to suffer from morning sickness and was impressed by the experience of how her body was changing. The baby is due in May and Delevingne’s initial fear during her early pregnancy is slowly being replaced by excitement.

“Internally, I was afraid of having a child at the age I am.” I was constantly in a state of worry, but that’s becoming less and less as I get further along. “It’s less fear and more excitement getting to know her,” she says through tears. “That’s what happens when I say ‘she,'” she laughs, acknowledging the hormonal side effects she also suffers from.

“I’m at the point where I’m just so excited to meet her.” When I close my eyes, I feel like I know her. She already makes me laugh, I think she’ll be funny.’

Photographer: Hector Hilleary

Lighting: Moses Fiddian Green

Make-up: Irina Cajvaneanu at Caren with Westman Atelier.

Hair: Kieron Justin Fowles, Creative Director at Regis Salons

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Olivia Blair is Entertainment Editor (Luxury) at Hearst UK and works for ELLE, Esquire and Harper’s Bazaar. Olivia covers all things entertainment and over the years has interviewed artists such as Margot Robbie, Emma Stone, Michaela Coel and Ryan Gosling.