Jess Impiazzi's Pledge to Break Family Cycles for Her Baby
Actress Jess Impiazzi has declared her determination to ensure her baby boy never experiences the insecurity she felt growing up, as she candidly discusses how grief and a difficult childhood are shaping her approach to motherhood. The 37-year-old star, who announced in January that she is expecting her first child, has navigated both IVF treatment and a battle with chronic autoimmune disease lupus on her path to parenthood.
Overcoming Personal Loss and Childhood Trauma
Jess's journey has been marked by profound personal loss. In 2022, her father Colin died at age 70 following a battle with lung cancer, leaving her heartbroken. The actress has previously detailed her challenging upbringing in her memoir Silver Linings, revealing the impact of her father's alcohol addiction and describing a childhood filled with what she called harsh lessons and heartbreak.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Jess reflected on how these experiences have fundamentally influenced her vision of motherhood. She stated emphatically: "I don't want him growing up in some of the circumstances I did. I don't want my child to ever feel like home isn't a safe place. I want them to know home is a safe place."
The actress expressed particular gratitude for her current relationship, noting: "I'm so pleased I'm having a child with the man I am because I know that will be the case. Whereas previously in my past relationships, I know that would never have been the case and I'd have been repeating cycles of what I've grown up with. Whereas now I know I've got a safe place and that's what my child's gonna come into."
Raising a Compassionate Advocate
Beyond creating security, Jess articulated her hopes for her son's character development. She explained: "I also want him to be a fierce advocate for women with the things that we keep seeing in the paper, the manosphere and all this. I want to protect him from that, but also educate him around these topics so that he's an advocate and you know, we need more men like that in the world."
The actress emphasized the importance of genuine respect, stating: "Have the respect for people, not just for women but for everyone, none of this banter that's actually just constantly putting people down and or things that are actually bad, like thrown off as banter, it's not banter to hurt someone, not funny. I want him to understand. So hopefully install some good, good traits in him."
Emotional IVF Journey Amid Health Challenges
Jess is due to welcome her baby in May with partner Sam, whom she has been with since summer 2024 following her split from footballer ex-boyfriend Jermaine Pennant. Their pregnancy follows an emotionally and physically demanding IVF process that Jess underwent while managing lupus, which was diagnosed in 2023.
The actress had previously expressed fears that early menopause might prevent her from having children. Recalling the IVF experience, she admitted: "It was challenging because I was really scared of the hook. We did a trial one to get my period on the right setting, so I was using hormone tablets and injections and stuff. And that was quite frightening because I would get flare-ups during different jabs or different times of what the medication was on."
Jess described her body's complex response: "Before that I'd been put on HRT so my body was all over the shop, we didn't really know what was going on. I was really scared of all this stuff going in my body because I was already on a medication called azathioprine, which I'm still on and hydroxychloroquine and then the steroids and it does frighten you because my body's just been through so much by this point."
Despite the challenges, she expressed relief: "I'm just really pleased it worked and we're now, and I'm now at this stage, I still take my medication but I don't feel like I'm being pumped with everything now."
Continuing Career Amid Motherhood Preparation
Alongside preparing for motherhood, Jess remains focused on her acting career. She stars in the upcoming horror film Jitters, written by George Willcox and Marc Zammit, appearing alongside Fabrizio Santino, Anto Sharp and Daniel Jordan. The film follows a detective investigating a young woman's death who uncovers a sinister AI-driven game that preys on players' deepest fears.
When asked what reaction she hopes audiences will have, Jess laughed: "I hope they're scared." She elaborated on the film's relevance: "The AI kind of feel is a new kind of horror because everyone's saying, oh, what's gonna happen with AI and we're actually worried about it. In real life, we're all a bit, well, is this bad? Are all our jobs gonna be gone? Are we gonna become obsolete, or is it gonna actually kill us, you know, we don't really know where this is going."
Jitters is scheduled for release on platforms including Apple TV and will be distributed by Miracle Media on March 16, marking another professional milestone for the actress as she prepares for her most personal role yet as a mother determined to break negative family cycles and create a secure, loving environment for her child.
