Pregnant Jess Impiazzi Opens Up About Daily Nutrition and Lupus Struggle
Reality television personality Jess Impiazzi has provided an intimate look at her daily dietary habits while navigating a life-changing battle with Lupus during her pregnancy. The 37-year-old star, who received her diagnosis in 2023, is expecting her first child with partner Sam Bird, a Formula E driver.
A Glimpse Inside the Fridge: Healthy Choices for Mother and Baby
In a recent interview with Closer Magazine, Impiazzi revealed that her refrigerator is stocked with nutritious essentials to support both her pregnancy and autoimmune condition. Fresh fruits and vegetables dominate the shelves, alongside lean proteins like chicken and salmon. For those moments when a sweet craving strikes, she keeps dark chocolate on hand.
Her typical daily meals follow a structured, health-conscious pattern:
- Breakfast: A protein shake or porridge enhanced with blueberries, banana, and a drizzle of honey.
- Lunch: Avocado on toast, topped with spring onions, beetroot, and a splash of lemon juice.
- Dinner: Varied meals prepared from Gousto recipe boxes, ranging from curries to lentil bakes.
During her pregnancy, Impiazzi has experienced specific cravings, particularly for Marks & Spencer cheese and onion sandwiches. When time permits, she indulges in homemade comfort foods like cottage pie or spaghetti Bolognese. Her kitchen essentials include Plenish oat milk and sparkling water, while her fridge consistently contains strawberries, grapes, pears, peppers, mushrooms, and mature cheddar cheese. On rare occasions for a takeaway, she opts for a fresh margarita pizza from a local pizzeria.
The Profound Impact of Lupus on Mental and Physical Health
Just last week, Impiazzi documented her ongoing struggle with Lupus, sharing candid photographs that revealed skin rashes and hair loss. She expressed feeling "never so lost" and harboring constant fears about her future. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues, leading to inflammation and potential damage to vital organs such as the skin, joints, kidneys, and heart.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, the Ex On The Beach star confessed that her diagnosis has severely impacted her mental wellbeing. She described a shifting sense of identity and admitted that despite years of perseverance through workouts and challenges, she reached a point where she "couldn't do it anymore." Alongside a bare-faced selfie, she detailed visible symptoms like facial and body rashes, joint swelling from arthritis, and invisible symptoms that eroded her confidence.
Impiazzi recalled how her condition transformed her life dramatically: "I'd gone from being confident in front of the camera, making movies and TV series, to suddenly feeling too poorly and too self-conscious to take myself to the supermarket." She lost nearly half her hair, and daily anxiety left her questioning her own identity.
Finding a New Path: Medication, Lifestyle Changes, and Hope
Posting a photograph of herself strapped into a harness mid-air, Impiazzi explained her treatment regimen, which includes steroids and various medications that provided only occasional relief. "But the truth was I was in pain, I was scared and didn't know how to carry on like this," she added.
Posing with her partner Sam, 34, she outlined the lifestyle adjustments necessary for managing her condition. This new approach emphasizes cooking fresh food to support gut health, prioritizing adequate sleep, and maintaining physical fitness. She concluded her post with a message of hope: "I was always fearful of how the future would pan out with my body being unpredictable and worried if I'd ever get my own family that I wanted. But it turns out taking good care of myself, being in a good environment and my medication (a little bit of fertility science), I didn't have to worry too much."
Impiazzi acknowledged that pregnancy presents additional challenges with Lupus, which she plans to discuss in the future, but expressed pride in her body's ability to adapt to adversity.
The Emotional IVF Journey to Parenthood
Jess Impiazzi is due to welcome her first child in May with Sam Bird, whom she has been in a relationship with since the summer of 2024, following her split from footballer ex-boyfriend Jermaine Pennant. Their pregnancy culminates a long and emotionally taxing IVF journey.
After her Lupus diagnosis, Impiazzi feared that early menopause might prevent her from having children. Opening up about undergoing IVF while living with a chronic illness, she admitted the process was far from straightforward. Recalling the experience to the Daily Mail, she said: "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."
She described her body as "all over the shop" due to previous HRT treatment, compounding the uncertainty. The combination of IVF medications with her existing prescriptions—azathioprine, hydroxychloroquine, and steroids—was particularly daunting. "It does frighten you because my body's just been through so much by this point," she reflected. However, she expressed immense relief that the treatment succeeded, stating: "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."
