Josie Copson
Published December 3, 2025 6:00am
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Ellis Ranson helps celebrities keep their pregnancies secret (Picture: Instagram/Ellis Ranson)
Pregnancy is a very personal, intimate and life-changing experience that many women understandably want to keep private for as long as possible.
However, there is one thing that can provide a challenge when trying to keep the secret – a growing bump.
For celebrities whose every move is watched, it can be even more difficult but some famous women have managed to not share the news until the baby is here (although, they have faced speculation) including Halle Bailey, Kylie Jenner, Sophie Turner and Cheryl.
Just this week, Ellie Goulding memorably revealed her growing belly on the red carpet at the Fashion Awards, after successfully keeping the bump out of the public eye until she was ready to show it off.
While the miracle of life isn’t always easy to conceal, celebrities have a secret weapon to help them – a stylist.
Ellis Ranson has been curating women’s wardrobes for over 10 years, and while working with stars including Kate Ferdinand, Ferne McCann, and Dani Dyer she’s risen to the challenge of hiding their bumps until they are ready to shout it from the rooftops (or post it on Instagram).
Ellie Goulding memorably unveiled her baby bump at The Fashion Awards 2025 (Picture: Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images for BFC)
Ellis has been a stylist for over a decade (Picture: Instagram/Ellis Ranson)
The 31-year-old gets to work before they’ve even let her in on the secret. As someone who is constantly working with their body, she can spot the change before the official confirmation.
‘I see them in their underwear while dressing them so I’m usually one of the first to know. I have to be so careful not to slip up as it’s not my news to tell, and I’ll act shocked when they do decide to share it with me,’ Ellis told Metro.co.uk.
If Ellis is kept in the loop when they are trying to conceive then she’ll begin working on her master plan. This usually involves introducing styles that they’ll use when they are expecting so it’s less of a huge contrast.
When the baby is in the belly, Ellis will sit down with her clients to discuss how long they want to keep the news to themselves and go through events they’ll be attending during that time.
When it comes to deciding what to put on the clothes rack – mini skirts and blazers are her failsafe options. She always returns to the fashion favourite as it’s unusual for the legs to change until nearer the end of the pregnancy and the blazer’s boxy style can hide what’s underneath. Plus both items are usually something clients already have in their wardrobe due to their popularity, so fans won’t register any change.
Blazers are a favourite for Ellis, which is modelled by Kate just weeks before making the announcement with husband Rio Ferdinand (Picture: Instagram/Kate Ferdinand)
‘It’s still a sexy look and it doesn’t give the impression of covering up,’ she shared.
‘You want to cover the area but in a way that people don’t suspect. Keeping up with current trends can be worthwhile as people are going to appreciate fashion rather than look at the body. It can be easier than you think to distract the eyes!
‘Before Kate announced her second baby Shae last year [with footballer husband Rio Ferdinand], we favoured jumpers, long skirts and on-trend trench coats. We pulled in the outfits at the smallest part of her waist to create an illusion. Anything that goes in at the waist and then out is ideal. You can even still show skin when adopting this method.’
Kate wore a high-waisted skirt which concealed the bump (Picture: Instagram/Kate Ferdinand)
Speaking about another well-known client – Love Island winner Dani who had Summer and Star with footballer Jarrod Bowen in May – Ellis shared: ‘Dani is very petite and was expecting twins so she posed a challenge. High-waisted skirts were a style we loved using together.’
If you’re looking to further emulate Ellis’ success then you can keep friends or colleagues in the dark by wearing a dark colour palette. Black, navy, burgundy and dark green will diminish the appearance of whatever it’s covering, by drawing the eye to the hands, and feet instead. Patterns also cause a welcome distraction.
On the other hand, neutrals emphasise your body, and tight-fitting clothes are naturally going to make it harder to disguise. The current trend of baggy jeans is particularly useful for secret-keeping so Ellis is happy it is here to stay.
Patterns are a good distraction (Picture: Instagram/Dani Dyer)
A woman’s body changing to prepare for motherhood is beautiful, but her clients don’t always feel confident in themselves and can feel out of control.
‘It can be a challenge to make women see how gorgeous they are, as a lot of them often don’t feel comfortable. Hormones can play havoc on their feelings too.
‘My job is to make them feel good about themselves. Clothes can have a big impact on their confidence so I take it seriously.’
Rihanna takes fashion risks that almost always pay off (Picture: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)
Once, the news is out Ellis can have ‘more fun’ playing with styles and showing off their growing bump. Although former The Only Way Is Essex star Ferne, who had son Finty in July with Lorri Haines, favoured loungewear most of the time when heading for an event or on holiday, she enjoyed showing her stomach off. This hasn’t always been the norm. During her decade-long career, Ellis has seen maternity fashion massively change.
Previously, women often wanted to get through the nine months wearing more conservative clothes, but they’re now embracing ‘creative, and over-the-top options’. Floaty dresses are out, while tight fabrics and bump-exposing garments are very much in for the fashion elite.
Ferne had fun with fashion once the news was out (Picture: Instagram/Ferne McCann)
Ellis credits Rihanna for partially changing the fashion narrative for pregnant women.
‘For a long time, the bump was something that was worked around, rather than celebrated. It’s so fun that women are pushing it more, like Sienna Miller attending a Vogue World party in an incredible Schiaparelli white skirt and crop top,’ shared Ellis.
Sienna wore a bump-exposing two-piece (Picture: PA)
Halle, pictured in December, used fashion to her advantage (Picture: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cxi86vgMX4i/?img_index=1
She also admired the work of Nichole Goodman, who helped Little Mermaid actress Halle draw attention away from the bump while still looking glamorous before she announced the arrival of her son Halo with partner DDG last month.
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‘She chose outfits that were tight in the exact right places, and loose where they needed to be like the yellow Dolce & Gabbana coat dress that Halle wore during Milan fashion week in September. This is a great way to distract the eye.
‘They were able to still have fun with fashion while doing the primary job of allowing Halle to confirm her special news until she was ready,’ Ellis concluded.
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A version of this article was first published on February 24, 2024.
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