Kirsty Gallacher reveals her bridal bliss

Kirsty Gallacher reveals her bridal bliss
Kirsty Gallacher reveals her bridal bliss (Image credit: PA Wire/Press Association Images)

TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher has revealed how she embarked on a quest for her perfect wedding dress while heavily pregnant. Six months after giving birth to her second child, Gallacher showed off her slim frame in a figure-hugging gown at her marriage to rugby player Paul Sampson in Spain. But the Sky Sports presenter said the dress-shopping experience was surprisingly easy despite the challenges of motherhood. The 34-year-old had her first consultation with designer Suzanne Neville while expecting second son Jude. In an interview with Hello! magazine after marrying her partner of nine years, Gallacher said: "But because I didn't put on an awful lot of weight when I was expecting, she could see what my figure was like. "When I went back in March, she'd put aside a few designs that she thought would be perfect for me and, would you believe it, the first dress she'd put aside was the one I ended up wearing." The emotions triggered by the small family ceremony and the sight of his 'incredible' bride brought a tear to the eye of the groom, who plays for London Welsh. Sampson, 33, said: "Someone said to me that it feels no different after marriage. But the bond Kirsty and I have is definitely stronger now, which feels amazing after nine years. Slightly unexpected, but a wonderful feeling." The couple - who also have a three-year-old son, Oscar - said a 'traditional white wedding at home' did not feel right for them. They opted instead to go to the historic town of Arcos de la Frontera where Gallacher's father, former Ryder Cup captain Bernard, has a house and mix British and Spanish traditions.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.