MARVIN Humes says he loves having a son after years of being "outnumbered" by girls – and admits he lets wife Rochelle be the strict parent.
The JLS star, 36, and Rochelle, 32, "completed their family" with son Blake in October, a little brother to daughters Alaia-Mai, seven, and Valentina, four.
Speaking to Fabulous, to encourage people to share their family recipes ahead of Onken Natural Set’s Family Recipe Day on Sunday, Marvin says: "Having a son has definitely changed the dynamic, 100 per cent.
"My house is full of unicorns and rainbows and glitter and dolls. And it could be that again with Blake, who knows, but I’m definitely outnumbered with the girls in the house.
"If I want to watch the football, I’m normally relegated to another room, but now I’ve got backup with Blake who’s definitely a Chelsea fan.
"So when me and Blake are sitting there watching the football, I’ve got a bit more of a say now, which is good."
With three kids and much-loved dog Ginger the Cookapoo, Marvin says we won't be getting any more Baby Humes announcements in the future.
He says: "We’re definitely stopping now, we’re so lucky we had a boy last. We never take for granted that we’ve got three healthy, wonderful kids who bring us so much happiness.
"We’ve got a dog at home as well so the house is always very, very lively. I think we are definitely family complete now for sure."
I’m definitely outnumbered with the girls in the house. If I want to watch the football, I’m normally relegated to another room
Marvin admits Rochelle, who found fame in bands S Club Juniors and The Saturdays before becoming a TV presenter, is definitely the "strict parent".
He says: "The hardest part is being strict, especially with the girls, Roch is definitely the stricter one most of the time.
"When it’s bedtime and they don’t want to go to bed, and my girls look at me with those big eyes and say ‘Daddy can we have another half an hour?’ it’s hard to say no to their little faces.
"So I’d say being strict with the kids is probably the toughest. You have to be firm but fair."
With a JLS reunion tour booked for later this year, Rochelle's gig on This Morning and a joint role for the couple presenting The Hit List, having a baby during lockdown gave the parents a welcome break to bond with him.
Marvin says of lockdown: "It’s definitely been hectic but it’s been amazing. When Alaia was born, Roch only had five or six weeks’ maternity leave then she was back with The Saturdays.
"With our first two, we were both back to work quite quickly after they were born, me especially.
"Whereas with Blake we’ve been around for pretty much every day of his life, which is amazing, spending that quality time with him, he’s seven months now.
When Alaia was born, Roch only had five or six weeks’ maternity leave then she was back with The Saturdays
"We’ve had no choice to be at home a lot more than we usually would have been, but those moments you never get back.
"It's been a lot more full-on at home. The whole homeschooling thing was different, I was wearing a headteacher hat and a Dad hat and getting used to that was challenging, but everyone was in the same boat so we just did the best we could given the circumstances.
"Most importantly, we spent a lot of quality time together, so we’ve absolutely loved it.
"Because Blake is a lockdown baby, he’s quite clingy and if he sees anyone new he’s not used to it. But that’s also lovely because he’s all for me and Roch and his sisters."
X Factor alumni Marvin and Rochelle have one of the strongest relationships in showbiz, having first met when she interviewed him for a TV show aged 16.
They started dating in March 2010 and moved in together three months later, getting married with a lavish ceremony at Blenheim Palace in 2012.
As any parent knows, it can be hard to get alone time, but for the Humes' that's a priority.
When you become parents and kids take over your entire world, you don’t want that to affect your relationship
Marvin says: "We had our first date night last month, we went into town to a restaurant which was amazing, Roch’s mum did babysitting duties.
"It was nice to be out just the two of us; we always said how important date nights are.
"When you become parents and kids take over your entire world, you don’t want that to affect your relationship, in terms of making sure you put time aside for you guys as well.
"The most important thing for those children is that their mum and dad are happy in the relationship. I think that’s super important for the whole family, that your parents spend time together alone.
"Obviously we’ve been restricted the last year, but before that we’d always make a point of having time to ourselves, just to be a couple. We try and do something together once a fortnight if we can."
Last year, JLS announced their sell-out reunion tour, which is now set for 30 dates across the country.
It's been pushed back twice due to coronavirus, but Marvin "really hopes" their current dates in October/November can go ahead, with the dad-of-three also in the studio recording new music for the band.
He says: "It’s no secret that me and the boys are brothers. We’re one of the few bands who genuinely get on and love each other.
"When we split up, we kept in contact more so than another band who have called it a day.
It’s no secret that me and the boys are brothers. We’re one of the few bands who genuinely get on
"We’re always spending time together, the four of us with our kids are our partners, all of the JLS kids call each other cousins and we’re all uncles.
"They’re really close and we can’t wait for one day at The O2 when we can bring our kids out onto the stage.
"We started back in 2007, that’s 14 years ago, we were kids then.
"Fast forward and I’ve got three kids, Aston (Merrygold)’s got two, JB (Gill)’s got two, Oritse (Williams)’s got one, that’s eight kids between four of us which is amazing. So it would be a nice moment between the four of us."
As well as their JLS cousins, Marvin and Rochelle's girls are friends with Holly Willoughby's kids and Alesha Dixon's daughter Azura, seven.
Marvin says: "It’s not about being celebs, they’re just Roch’s friends and it’s nice to be invited to birthday parties and things like that."
Marvin has partnered with Onken to encourage the nation to share their Family Recipes, as part of Onken Natural Set’s Family Recipe Day on Sunday, May 16.
He says: "Growing up I had the best of both worlds with Caribbean food and the more traditional British meals.
"Rochelle’s a great chef, she’s always very adventurous in the kitchen. With the kids we like to keep things fairly simple, my main dish is my chicken tikka masala skewers, you can do it in 15, 20 mins.
"We are quite diverse on what we cook at home. Most of the time it’s all about what’s most convenient, with three kids running around and a dog.
"Rochelle definitely she does most of the cooking. I always do breakfast at home, that’s my meal to cook for the family, then when Roch is out it’s my turn to take control with dinners."
Those who share their legend-dairy recipe by Sunday could be in with a chance to win a video cookalong with Marvin. Find out more at onken.co.uk.
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