Amanda Byram has revealed the camera trickery she used to keep her pregnancy a secret, after surprising fans with the announcement she’d given birth to a baby boy earlier this month.

The Irish presenter, 51, announced the arrival of her second child with her TV producer husband Julian Okines on Valentine’s Day. 

The couple have been through a ‘long and exhausting’ IVF journey before welcoming their first son Phoenix in 2021 and decided not to reveal the news they were expecting again.

Fans couldn’t hide their shock at the news, as Amanda had posted frequent snaps of herself enjoying sun-soaked getaways to the Canary Islands up until January.

However, the star took to her Instagram on Wednesday to reveal how she’d hidden her blossoming baby bump from view in all her pH๏τos, with a skilfull mix of camera angles, props and flowing dresses.

She shared a slew of sH๏τs she’d posted over the past two months that had raised no suspicions she was pregnant, beside pH๏τos taken at the same time with her bump on full display, demonstrating ‘instagram versus reality’.

Amanda Byram has revealed the camera trickery she used to keep her pregnancy a secret, after surprising fans with the announcement she’d given birth to a baby boy earlier this month 

The Irish presenter, 51, announced the arrival of her second child with her TV producer husband Julian Okines on Valentine’s Day (pictured with Julian and son Phoenix)

The couple have been through a ‘long and exhausting’ IVF journey before welcoming their first son Phoenix in 2021 and decided not to reveal the news they were expecting again

Some snaps saw Amanda either turning away from the camera or facing it full on, making her tummy harder to spot, as well as making use of the water distortion in the swimming pool.

Other times she disguised her bump under loose flowing clothing or strategically placed objects such as a spacehopper or even son Phoenix.

Captioning the post, Amanda quipped: ‘The camera never lies…. well almost never!! We chose to keep this pregnancy a secret, like our last one. It just felt safe and kept us in our bubble. 

‘So when it came to posting on instagram, it called for some nifty camera angles by @julianokines.

‘The pH๏τos on the left I posted from our Xmas trips to @H๏τelsuitevillamaria and Fuerteventura, the pH๏τos on the right taken seconds later, showing the whole truth! instagram versus reality’.

Fans were full of praise at how she and her husband had cleverly masterminded the snaps, with one commenting: ‘Your bump hiding skills in pH๏τographs is on another level’ with Amanda admitting: ‘it’s my new profession’.

Amanda first let slip she’d welcomed a baby with a sweet pH๏τo of the newborn, announcing that they’d chosen to name him Jett.

She revealed that she’d unexpectedly gone into labour a month early, but added that Jett was ‘thriving’ thanks to the help from all NHS workers.

Fans couldn’t hide their shock at the news, as Amanda had posted frequent snaps of herself enjoying sun-soaked getaways to the Canary Islands up until January

However, the star took to her Instagram on Wednesday to reveal how she’d hidden her blossoming baby bump from view in all her pH๏τos, with a skilfull mix of camera angles, props and flowing dresses

She shared a slew of sH๏τs she’d posted over the past two months that had raised no suspicions she was pregnant, beside pH๏τos taken at the same time with her bump on full display, demonstrating ‘instagram versus reality’

Some snaps saw Amanda either turning away from the camera or facing it full on, making her tummy harder to spot

She also made clever use of the water distortion in the swimming pool to make it harder to see her from the waist down

Captioning the birth post, she wrote: ‘And just like that, we are four… Introducing the most wonderful, gentle, soul, Jett Indy Byram Okines.

‘Jett’s recent arrival was quite the surprise – as my wonderfully low key pregnancy was suddenly interrupted when my waters broke a month early… and 36 hours later, my second little man powered into our lives like he had been here forever!!’ 

She added: ‘We know that we are beyond lucky to have a second miracle in our lives, and feel so grateful to all the magnificent doctors and nurses who aided us in our IVF journey.

‘It was long, exhausting, and utterly devastating at times, but I wouldn’t change a single thing given that it all led me here to my two incredible boys… one my heart and the other my soul.

‘I hope sharing this can be a source of inspiration for those parents in-waiting… I know the odds are against us but it can happen!!’

The presenter, who has been married to Julian since 2016, also kept her first pregnancy a secret when she welcomed Phoenix in November 2021.

Amanda took to Instagram at the time to share the first picture of their baby boy alongside a lengthy post about her ‘long and heartbreaking’ fertility journey.

She wrote: ‘And then there was you. I’m so overjoyed, full of love and bursting with happiness to be able to share with you that @julianokines and I have welcomed our incredible son, Phoenix Blaze Byram Okines into the big wide, wonderful world…

Other times she disguised her bump under loose flowing clothing, such as floaty maxidress that made her figure tricky to make out

And she even use strategically placed objects in front of her tummy, such as a spacehopper or her son Phoenix

Captioning the post, Amanda quipped: ‘The camera never lies…. well almost never!! The pH๏τos on the left I posted from our Xmas trips to @H๏τelsuitevillamaria and Fuerteventura, the pH๏τos on the right taken seconds later, showing the whole truth!

 

Amanda first let slip she’d welcomed a baby with a sweet pH๏τo of the newborn, announcing that they’d chosen to name him Jett (pictured) 

‘What a privilege that he entrusted us to nurture and guide his little soul through the endless possibilities of life and we are eternally grateful to him for choosing us to be his parents.

‘Our fertility journey has been long and we know only too well the heartbreak of the hope that turned to hopelessness, the elation that turned to devastation and the strain putting this often-secretive journey before your job, your friends, and your life.’

Amanda continued: ‘I know many brave parents-in-waiting who, like us, have struggled for a long time, so today we share this magical news in the hope it can inspire and offer a light at the end of the tunnel…

‘You are powerful warriors, I know your pain, and I see you. We send you all the strength you need to tackle your journeys…

Now that he is finally here, we realise we have never been more ready or felt more mentally, physically, and emotionally equipped to be his mummy and daddy.

‘My heart bursts with love for you… you have been my solid rock over these years, encouraging me to hang in and keep going….

‘After every tear, every tumble, every heartache, your positivity made everything seem possible again. It’s thanks to you, your energy, and your enthusiasm, that we are all here together today…

‘We are so lucky to have you, and Phoenix is lucky to call you his Daddy, I know you are already his hero. We love you infinitely ❤️’ .

The presenter, who has been married to Julian since 2016, also kept her first pregnancy a secret when she welcomed Phoenix in November 2021 (pictured together) 

In 2015, she spoke about her fears over ‘leaving it too late to be a mum’. 

She said at the time: ‘Look, I’m 42. And I never really wanted to go down that road until I was really, really sure I had met the right person…

‘I think there are choices you make as a woman, you can choose to do it by yourself, to do it with somebody even if you are not convinced they are the right person. Or you can wait for the right person and then maybe find it is too late…

‘We have been together a year-and-a-half. I’m fit, I’m healthy, there are no problems in that sense. So who knows? It’s in the hands of the gods.’