Therése, 53, Pregnant With Her Fourth Child: “How could I say no?”

Tara Magazine, Sweden | Author: Pamela Anderson | Foto: Peter Knutson | Translation to English: Anna Svarinskaya

A phone call changed the life of a singer and mother of three, Therése. Suddenly, she had the opportunity to become a mother again. An embryo from the clinic where she had her third child five years ago was waiting. "This miracle just fell into my lap."

We met at Therése Neaimé's beautiful apartment in Vasastan, Stockholm, where she lives with her three children: Lucas, 13; Nikki, 11; and Lennox, 5. The apartment is elegantly decorated with a mix of toys and Swedish and Lebanese design. Large antique mirrors in golden shades and many details are scattered throughout the home, where both she and her children feel at ease.

Therése had everything she ever wanted: a big family, a fantastic career as a singer and lecturer, and a home big enough for all her children. Her family was complete. Then came the unexpected phone call that turned her world upside down, but in the best way possible.

Lennox, conceived through an embryo donation with another woman's egg when Therése was 47, had a full sibling frozen at O.L.G.A. Clinic. The embryo was five years old and in storage. Therése had to decide whether to discard it or potentially let it go to another family.

“What was your first thought?”

My first thought was, "This is a miracle. I knew I couldn't say no. How could I deny Lennox this full sibling? And I've always wondered what that embryo might have been like," Therése says.

“So did you say yes immediately?” 

No, it was a tough decision. She deliberated for a while, thinking about what her other children would think and whether she was too old to become a mother again.

Therése didn't need to respond immediately to the clinic's unexpected question, and she took time to consider various factors. Could her body handle another pregnancy at 53? What would her other children think, and how would her new daily life look? As a singer and lecturer, she lived anything but an ordinary life. Lucas, Nikki, and Lennox were still relatively young, although Lucas had already become a teenager.

It took nine months of consideration, including health checks, before Therése finally decided to say yes. She wanted her decision to be thoroughly thought out. She had a responsibility towards her three children, so she discussed it with them too.Lucas, as the oldest, was surprised and initially worried. He understood more than the younger children, and Therése feared he might see it as a betrayal, not be feeling positive and be asking "You have us, isn't that enough?"  Therése explained that Lennox, being so much younger than both Lucas and Nikki, would be left alone once the two older siblings moved out. But if Lennox had a younger sibling, at least there would be two children left at home with their mother. That made sense to Lucas. But it was lucky we got nine month to get usedto the idea!

After Nikki began digesting the news, the thought of a little sister became exciting. Lucas had gotten a little brother, and that added a bit of pressure for Therése. Nikki asked what gender the baby was. “The baby's gender is a girl!”

What does Lennox say about getting a full sibling? At first, he said he would become a dad, haha, but now he walks around saying, "I have a baby, I'm getting a friend."

When the children gave their approval, all the necessary checks were completed, and Therése had made her decision without undue influence from others; she still had to consider social skepticism. She knew some people might question her choice to become a single mother again at 53. When the little girl in her belly turns ten, Therése will be 63. While becoming a father at an older age is more accepted, the same isn't always true for women.

“Have you faced any comments such as ‘are you only thinking about yourself’ or ‘how do you think itwill be when you get older and don’t have much energy’?”

As of now, she hasn't faced any negative reactions, perhaps because she hasn't shared the news with many people. She values her privacy and has only confided in those she trusts and who wish her well. She has received only positive reactions so far, but she acknowledges that it may change. She believes in individual life journeys and hopes to inspire women, men, and couples that it's never too late to have children.

Therése has always been told she follows her own path both by her father, family, and friends. From a young age, she knew she wanted to be a singer, and she fulfilled that dream with passion. In her beautiful apartment, you can find evidence of her remarkable and ongoing career, especially abroad. In the guest bathroom, there's a framed poster from the time she opened for the British pop group Simply Red on their European tour. I can't help but touch the 2021 award she received, becoming the first Swedish artist to win the Hollywood Music in Media Awards for her song "Dance Love."

It's significant — and a great revenge for the bullying she endured in the middle school when her classmates wrote "We hate you, Tessan" on the walls, and she was bullied for standing out both in height and with her black curly locks...

"Disaster," Therese sums it up, but it was there that her incredible drive to become successful began. To show everyone that it's actually HER voice that will shape her life, not the bullies or fate.

How will it work with your career when you have a little one to take care of?

I've always taken my children with me in everything I've done, and the new little baby will do the same. I'm passionate about showing that it's possible to combine motherhood with a career in the spotlight. It also makes me a better mother because I get to do what I love. I'll be on stage for a while and then I'm a mother one hundred percent. The children play leading roles in my life.

This miracle just landed into my lap; I wouldn't have had another child otherwise, and I'm satisfied.

I think it would have been different if I didn't have Lennox, if Nikki had been the youngest, and I would start over from the beginning. But with Lennox being just four years old, I feel young, not 53. I feel like I'm in the middle of life, but of course, I wish I were 40 so that I would have more time.

The little baby is expected to arrive on December 23, and it will be a long-awaited Christmas gift for the whole family. They talk about it being an enchanting and magical Christmas with a new little miracle at home!