Chesterfield mum who had kids in her 40s like Hilary Swank feels she has to prove she can still be hands on - and urges other older wannabe mums to get a move on

Diana Harper, 49, was a member of Bjorn Again - one of the most successful tribute acts of all time - so having a family took a backseat while she toured the world.

She always wanted to be a mum but only met her now-husband Dean, 48, when she was aged 41 - years after she'd been warned it might be her "last chance". They had IVF and daughter Violet was born when Diana was 43, followed by Albie, two years later.

Hilary Swank, 48, welcomed twins earlier this month with husband Philip Schneider, 45.

Diana said it was the "hardest thing" she's ever done - and she "didn't realise" how tough conceiving over 40 would be. She encouraged other women to act sooner, and "not care" what others say about age.

Diana reckons waiting to have kids means she has more patience, but less energy, than when she was in her 20s. She admits she feels pressure as an older mum to show that she can still keep up with the other parents.

She said: “When I go to play centres and kids are climbing up the big slides I find myself having to step it up and climb the ladders and showing that I’m not really 49-and-a-half and I’m just as good as the twenty year olds.

“Sometimes the younger mums must look at me and obviously think that I’m older – but I haven't been called granny or anything like that yet, because I know some people who have. I probably haven’t got quite as much energy as I did 20 years ago.

“When you’re in your late forties finding that energy to get up - and as soon as you're up it’s just a million miles an hour - to getting ready and getting dressed and to try and be happy and playful."

She added: “I just think you need to get on with it as soon as possible. I didn’t realise how fertility decline so quickly from the age of 35, so when you get to 40, you’ve only got a couple of years to get on it.”

Diana spent her 20s and 30s achieving career goals, performing as Agnetha in the best known ABBA tribute act.

She said: “I just knew all my life I was going to end up being a mum, but then this big career was there and I just kind of forgot about it for a while.”

After going on the contraceptive pill at age 38, Diana was told by doctors at the time that it might be her last chance to have kids. Three years later, she met future husband Dean and the two married the following year.

The couple decided they wanted children, but found it hard to conceive due to Diana’s age, and decided to undergo IVF treatment.

“It [IVF] didn’t work the first time, so it was hard because we didn’t know whether we were going to succeed or not,” Diana said. “It takes some strength to get over the losses and the things that fail and just carry on.”

In 2017, Diana and Dean welcomed their daughter, Violet, and then son Albie in 2019. She said: “I nearly missed that boat of becoming a mum, but I managed to have a massive career and have children. I know some people who left it too late and didn’t get there so I was extremely lucky.”

In 2021, the Office of National Statistics revealed the average age of mothers in England and Wales is now 30.9 years, up from just 26.4 in 1973.

Diana claimed the key to being an older mum was staying fit and healthy, and encouraged other mums to stay in shape.

“You’ve got to look after yourself," she said. "Take care of yourself so you can live to a ripe old age. I think that I’m a pretty fun mum, actually more fun than most, so you’ve got to keep that young spirit going.

“My job was very active and I try to keep fit. I think being an older mum and not being healthy and fit would be really hard.”

Having children at a later date has made some aspects of motherhood easier for Diana. She said: “I think maybe 20 years ago I wouldn’t have had as much patience because it is definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Her main piece of advice for other women considering motherhood in their 40s was to not care what people think.

Diana said: “I know it's a typical saying that age is just a number, but I just think go for it. If people think you’re too old you've just got to get on and do it and you can be as good a mum as the rest of them."