She’s been body shamed, blocked by Donald Trump, and hounded by online trolls, but nothing gets Christine Diane Teigen, better known as Chrissy Teigen, down.
The 37-year-old American model, television personality, author and business owner has been through so many trials and tribulations yet she continues to share her undying love and light with the world.
Embracing Motherhood
An Instagram icon, fans can’t seem to get enough of the candid glimpses into her not-so-glamourous life and rejoice at the sight of her heart-warming feed filled with beautiful moments of motherhood – even the parts about wearing diapers after a C-section and eating her placenta.
Chrissy and multi-award-winning husband, John Legend, have also been open about their struggle to conceive, sharing their personal In vitro fertilisation (IVF) experience with their followers. “Coming to terms with not being able to carry again is still really difficult for me because I feel so healthy. I’m like, why?
But then I think about it as my uterus just not cooperating with me — and it’s not a failure,” Chrissy says. “I just think of it in terms of how blessed I am already, and also there are so many ways to have a child nowadays… whether it’s surrogacy or adoption,” she continues.
“When you go through IVF, it does feel like, ‘Oh, it’s not fair I have to do all ‘this’. Still, it’s a complete miracle when it works. There are so many people that still struggle, even with access to IVF.”
Today, Chrissy and John have three adorable children, Luna (7), Miles (5), and newborn, Esti Maxine, who was named after Legend’s grandmother and great-grandmother. Esti was proof that miracles do happen after losing her unborn son Jack, in September 2020, due to partial placenta abruption.
Chrissy has also experienced multiple failed IVF treatments and post-partum depression, which she has opened up about on her platform to support other women dealing with the same heartbreak. She’s been honest about using alcohol to deal with her depression and has been sober for just over two years now.
“The last few years have been a blur of emotions to say the least, but joy has filled our home and hearts again,” she explains. “She’s here! Esti Maxine Stephens – the house is bustling, and our family could not be happier.”
Family First, Always
Chrissy is embraced for her unflinching honesty and wit, which is why her TV shows like Lip Sync Battle, Chrissy’s Court and Snack-off have become household staples across the globe. Despite this success, Chrissy has turned down opportunities to have her own talk show for fear of overexposure and losing quality family time, and is why she turned to her passion for cooking.
In fact, being in the kitchen helped her heal and embrace sobriety even more. Her two best-selling cookbooks, Cravings: Hungry for More (2018) and Cravings: All Together: Recipes to Love (2021), are widely popular today, bringing families across the world together to cook and be bonded through food.
“My day job may be exhausting, but cooking is my peace,” she admits. “My dream is to have a big family with lots of grandkids. And we’ll get together every Sunday for a hearty dinner at our house, and we’ll all live in flavourful bliss, happily ever after,” she continues.
“I always knew that I wanted to be a mom. I knew I wanted to be a wife, but workwise I never knew exactly where I could fit in or what I could do. But if I can get people in the kitchen cooking together with their families and making something that they’re proud of, that makes me so happy. To be able to do that day in and day out, I’m just the luckiest girl in the world, truly.”
With a third book in the works, Chrissy promises it will be a healthy progression from her first two books. “I’m having a good time, and my confidence has grown. I fully embrace carbs now—like, putting sweet potato spread onto a baguette. A year ago, I would have said you can’t put starch on bread; now I’m like, who cares? There are no rules,” she exclaims. “I really like getting the person who is terrified of cooking into the kitchen and showing them that cooking can be both indulgent and fun.”
Craving More
Another one of her passion projects, e-commerce site ‘Cravings by Chrissy Teigen’, has become a global foodie sensation, offering a one-stop shop for comforting recipes, quirky cookware, cosy kitchen outfits and a plethora of useful foodie tips and tricks.
“It makes me giddy every time [I think about] how far we’ve come. We’re not huge, and to see all these talented people that I’ve brought together [makes me so] proud,” she says of her Cravings team. “We’ve made something beautiful and something so fun. I have one goal in life, and that is just to make people happy.
My new motto is to go with the flow: It actually TEACHES YOU TO BE A BETTER PERSON and not be so neurotic about time and schedules
With Cravings, the amount of love and feedback that people show us makes me so happy.” The supermodel is ecstatic about being an entrepreneur who sets her own rules, as this allows her to be more present for her husband and children. “Seeing my kids running around my office and seeing what I’ve created is really, really amazing.
Knowing that I can call the shots on something and having a voice in my own business is really cool,” she says. “I’m still proud when I make John proud and I love seeing him write songs that he loves so, so much. Getting to be in a shared space with him in our office is just so cool to me.”
As for what’s next, Chrissy is looking forward to expanding her family and business, while taking better care of her body and well-being. “My new motto is to go with the flow: It actually teaches you to be a better person and not be so neurotic about time and schedules,” she jokes. “Whatever is going to work to make a great day, go with it. I’m very much a person who likes to be present.”
Fast Facts
Biggest Fear: Dying a slow, agonising death
Best Kitchen Hack: Having your mom live with you
Your Style Icon: Kate Moss
Late Night Craving: Hot Pockets
Hardest thing about being a mom: Waking up super early
Best Date Night: Dinner and visiting a comedy club
Dream Travel Destination: Fiji
Favourite John Legend Song: ‘All of Me’
Photography: Gallo/Getty Images, Robby Klein/Contour RA By Getty Images
