Aisling O'Loughlin forced to take early Maternity Leave

The latter stages of pregnancy are always tough - but throw a full time job presenting Xpose, two toddlers and a chest infection on top of that, and you need to know when to call time.

Aisling O'Loughlin has made the wise move to take her maternity leave slightly early after being struck down with an infection that left her breathless. Speaking via The Independent, the presenter said: "I just couldn’t breathe properly with it, and I couldn’t really talk either so I just decided enough was enough. I really wasn’t well and I’m still getting over it, to be honest, so I decided to go off in the middle of last week and I’m on the mend now. I'm feeling fine apart from the hormonal fluctuations that come with being pregnant."

Tell me about it. I spent most of yesterday crying after my 3-year-old spent large portion of the afternoon shoving her dolly up her jumper "like mummy." It doesn't take much to set you off when you're in the third trimester.

Aisling is scheduled for a section on May 11th, and had this to say about meeting their new baby boy: "I can’t wait to meet him. It’s amazing thinking, ‘Who’s in there, what do you look like?’ You just don’t know who you’re making’. It’s also nice to be finally on maternity leave and get some stuff done about the house and spend time with the boys before the new baby comes... I’m loving it. It’s like having an alien inside me. It’s been kicking away, so I think it’s a bit of a wild one already."

3e presenter Cassie Stokes will be taking Aisling's place while on maternity leave.