Jess Smith, the Teletubbies’ first child, appeared on This Morning on Tuesday with her own child.
The former child star, 30, was just nine months old when she was cast as the sun baby in Teletubbies. She appeared in 365 episodes of the show between 1997 and 2001.
Jess was interviewed on the show alongside Nikky Smedley, 53, who played Laa-Laa, and John Simmit, 60, known for his role as Dipsy.
She was also accompanied by her five-month-old daughter Poppy, who she shares with her long-term boyfriend Ricky Latham.
When asked if she tells her friends about her claim to fame, Jess replied: ‘I don’t, but everyone I’m with knows, so everyone tells everyone.
The Teletubbies’ original sun baby, Jess Smith, appeared on This Morning on Tuesday with her own child
The former child star, 30, was just nine months old when she was cast as the Sun baby in Teletubbies, and appeared in 365 episodes of the show between 1997 and 2001
“So my partner Ricky tells everyone and his family tells everyone and my family tells everyone. Everyone tells everyone so it doesn’t matter where I go, everyone knows.”
Speaking about how she got the job, Jess explained: ‘I was weighed in the hospital. Apparently I was a crybaby at the time.
‘The only way my mother could calm me down was to take me to the hospital for the midwives, and that was the furthest point in the village, so she took me there. And the producer had been there that same day and had asked for baby names to be sent through.
“So that’s what happened. I think it was a short audition and then, yeah, I got the part.”
Presenters Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle then asked if Poppy would like to take on the role for the upcoming reboot.
She said, “We would absolutely go for it. Absolutely. It would be so much fun to see her in my role from when I was little. Just to carry on my legacy.”
Viewers couldn’t believe that Jess now had a baby of her own, with one saying: ‘The sun baby is all grown up and has a baby of her own. I feel old’;
‘The baby had a baby, now I feel old’;
‘You couldn’t tell that woman was the Tellytubby baby’
Jess was accompanied by her five-month-old daughter Poppy, who she shares with long-term boyfriend Ricky Latham
She was joined by John Simmit, 60, known for his role as Dipsy
Presenters Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle then wondered if Poppy would take on the job for the upcoming reboot
Viewers couldn’t believe that Jess now had a baby of her own, with one saying: ‘The sun baby is all grown up and has a baby of her own. I feel old’
She welcomed her first child in mid-January, but she didn’t mention the baby’s name or gender in her Instagram post.
Just days later, she announced she was having a baby girl, named Poppy Rae Latham. The middle name could be a reference to a ray of sunshine from her role as Sun Baby.
“A family day out visiting nanny Ollie and Arlo,” Smith captioned the photo of her, Latham and their daughter.
Smith announced she was expecting a baby in October, when she shared an image of her ultrasound.
“When two becomes three,” she captioned the post, tagging her boyfriend Ricky Latham.
On January 15, she shared a photo of her baby Poppy, with her finger wrapped around her hand, captioning it, “A whole week of you,” indicating the child was born on January 8.
She shared another photo on January 20 of Latham carrying their child in a car seat, captioning it, “12 days in our lives, 7 days at home, 2 very happy parents. Please give Poppy Rae Latham a warm welcome.”
Smith shared a photo of her and her daughter in mid-February, captioning it, “Mommy and baby cuddling. ‘Smile and be kind.’ Does anyone else waste hours of their day cuddling babies?”
A few days later, she shared another photo of her and Ricky holding the apparently sleeping child, captioning it, “My little family.”
She welcomed her first child in mid-January, though she didn’t mention the baby’s name or gender in her Instagram post
She shared another photo of Latham carrying their child in a car seat on January 20, captioning it: ’12 days in our lives, 7 days at home, 2 very happy parents. Please give Poppy Rae Latham a warm welcome’
Smith shared another photo of her and her daughter in mid-February, captioning it, “Hugs from mommy and baby. ‘Smile and be kind.’ Does anyone else lose hours of their day to baby hugs?”
Smith was only nine months old when she became the Sun Baby. In an interview with the BBC, she said it was an accident.
“I was weighed in the hospital. My mother took me and it just so happened that the producer of the old show came in and wanted the hospital to contact them if they had seen any smiley babies,” she said.
She said her father would sit behind the cameras and play with toys and cars to get her to make the famous giggling sound you hear on the show.
She only revealed her identity in 2015, although she had previously preferred to keep it a secret.
“I always kept it hidden, but after a lot of encouragement from my friends at university I now have the confidence to come out,” she said.
“I’m the sun from the Teletubbies. Everyone says they see the similarity between my face now and me as a baby. I still have a baby face. I haven’t changed much either. I still giggle,” she admitted.