Junior Eurovision winner María Isabel pregnant...and 'loving her work'

EUROVISION Junior winner María Isabel is pregnant with her first child, due next spring – but in the meantime, she continues to work and 'loves what she does'.

Soaring to international fame aged nine with the catchy flamenco-esque hit Antes Muerta que Sencilla ('Sooner Dead than Simple') - which won Spain the Junior Eurovision Song Contest for the first and, so far, the only time, then went on to top the national music charts – María Isabel has popped in and out of the spotlight since her precocious 2004 pop début.

Now 27, she recently announced she and her partner Jesús Marchena, 32, were expecting a baby together, and responded swiftly to critics on social media who asked her whether her pregnancy was 'a bit too soon'.

She said that 'not everyone had to follow the same pattern' of being in a long-term relationship, getting married, and waiting until they were around the 30 mark before starting a family – in Spain, the average age for a first-time mum is 33, roughly one in five are over 40 and about one in seven are between 40 and 50 – and that she and Jesús had decided that 'the time was right'.

María Isabel, who hails from Ayamonte (Huelva province, Andalucía), was also asked by one of her Instagram followers what she is doing now for work, given that a year ago she announced her decision to bow out of the public scene 'for the sake of her mental health'.

In response to the question, “What do you work as?” María Isabel's initial, tongue-in-cheek reply was, “As a drug-dealer!”

Then she clarified it with, “I've always wanted to say that.”

Next, on her Instagram Stories post, she listed in detail exactly what she has been doing lately, 18 years after her cute little self put Spain on the map at the Eurovision Junior.

She said she has been 'making music' since she was 'nine years old', and adds, 'thank God'.

“Until about a year ago when I decided to have a break...take a little rest-stop so as to be able to come back with my usual strength,” María Isabel added.

She revealed she is also a 'content creator',writing about 'what is beautiful and helpful'.

“I travel and always recommend places where you can stay, eat, visit, activities you can do, etc,” María Isabel clarifies.

Additionally, she 'showcases her fashion' – it was reported a year or so back that she had opened a shoe shop – and her 'lifestyle', or 'a little bit of everything to a lot of people' to 'serve as inspiration' for them.

A task she describes as 'incredible', and one she has combined with relentless studying, including 'singing, acting, professional makeup, and a degree in children's education'.

“The reality...I love what I do, and do you know what's the most beautiful about it? People who don't ask what my work is because they can already appreciate what I do. 

“But if you want to know more...I've worked loads...perhaps that's why I'm able to take a break now and again, although I love working, I love getting into my studio and creating,” María Isabel confesses.

“I've got albums, tours, singles, music and entertainment shows, a film, adverts, a perfume, and millions of other things under my belt,” the singer concludes.

The exact date for when Eurovision-Junior Junior is due has not been mentioned as yet, although María Isabel told her followers the news on August 11.

Assuming she was about three months' pregnant at that point, it means she and Jesús Marchena could be officially calling themselves 'mum and dad' by around early to mid-February 2023.