Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman shows off her budding baby bump

The five months pregnant Radio 1 DJ wore a cream lacy minidress which revealed her growing bump as she enjoyed a spot of retail therapy in the Californian sunshine ahead of last night's Grammy Awards.

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Last week Miss Bowman dramatically revealed that she is jeopardising her health to have her first child, with partner Tom Smith, lead singer of the band the Editors, in June.

The heart problem, diagnosed four years ago, makes having a child a far greater risk for the radio DJ, and means a natural birth is out of the question because it would put too much strain on her heart.

The DJ has a bicuspid, rather than a tricuspid, aortic valve - a defect that can cause a narrowing of the valve relatively early in life.

It essentially means she has a two-way rather than a three-way valve and that her heart is under greater strain than a normal one.

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In extreme cases, the condition requires a transplant. It also leaves sufferers at greater risk of developing heart disease at a young age.

And in Bowman's case, it means there is an increased likelihood of death in childbirth which is why she must have a caesarean.

Bowman revealed the condition as she spoke for the first time about the unplanned baby she is having with Smith, 26, who is currently in the middle of a world tour.

Referring to the potential seriousness of the defect, she said: "We get to find out the baby's sex later this month but I'm like, there are really more important things to worry about right now than the colour of baby clothes."

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Her heart problem was only discovered four years ago when she became exhausted after rushing between music festivals with then radio co-host Colin Murray.

"I'd overworked myself. When I came back from the Glastonbury Festival, it took me ages to get over it. I was getting palpitations and I was knackered all the time.

"I was going to work at the BBC, coming home and going straight to bed. Actually, I was sleeping all the time which is not like me. Usually I'm a bundle of energy.

"My mum eventually told me to just get myself to the doctors and eventually I had a heart scan."

A heart murmur was revealed and in Bowman's case it was the more serious type which indicates a structural fault caused either by disease or a congenital defect.

She says: "It was shocking obviously, but it was actually also good to know about it. A really high proportion of people with heart murmurs never know they've got one.

"Once you get your head around it, you realise there's nothing you can do except try and get on with life.

"I was told that the greatest risk is deterioration and that I may need a valve transplant later on, which is scary, but for now it seems fine."

She and her partner of two years have been fitting in extra scans of the baby around his tour dates to keep an eye on the early development of its own heart.

Bowman, originally from Fife, said: "Basically, I need these extra scans early in the pregnancy and I'll have to have a Caesarean because no one, including my own heart specialist, sees the point in putting my heart through unnecessary stress.

"Childbirth carries the risk of causing deterioration in a bicuspid valve so it's just not a good idea. But I'm not one of these women who is desperate for a natural birth, so I'm fine with it."

The DJ also suffered from epilepsy at a young age before it was brought under control aged 12 and fears this too could pass on to her baby.

A child born to a parent with the disorder carries a 10 per cent chance of developing it.

Bowman also admitted that the baby was unplanned and she and her boyfriend were terrified when they first realised they were going to be parents.

"The baby wasn't planned and Tom and I were both shit-scared, frankly, when we found out. Then I went to my GP and got even more frightened.

"There are so many things women are told they can and can't do, like it's an illness, when actually it's a really joyful time," she said.

Despite the added concern created by her health problems, she appears to be taking a very rational approach to pregnancy.

"I've had to raise the handlebars on my bike because the bump is getting in the way but that's about it. I'm still eating brie. I had sushi the other day for my birthday...

"I reckon it's all about common sense and taking all this overwhelming advice with a pinch of salt."