How Beyonce disguised pregnancy at show-stopping performance despite vomiting off stage

By Mirror | 4yrs ago | 4 min read

**Beyonce was suffering from morning sickness moments before her epic Glastonbury 2011 headline performance. Photo: Corbis via Getty Images.**

Recently, fans were treated to a reshowing of Beyonce's epic 2011 Glastonbury headline performance.

With a medley of her biggest hits from Say My Name to Who Run The World (Girls), Beyonce's show-stopping act still had jaws dropping across the land nine years on.

And most incredibly, Queen Bey managed to rock the Pyramid stage all night while being secretly pregnant, even vomiting from morning sickness moments before getting up in front of millions of people.

At the time, she was eight weeks along with daughter Blue Ivy, and while her tiny bump was too small to be seen, she did keep touching her stomach protectively during songs.

Her emotional rendition of Etta James' At Last has even more poignancy looking back, especially as Bey cupped her stomach several times during the song. She had previously suffered from multiple miscarriages - not that she let slip a single hint of fear or pain during her set - and no doubt was worried whether this pregnancy would stick.

Her friend Gwyneth Paltrow - who could be seen jubilantly watching by the side of the stage with Bey's husband Jay-Z - later admitted to Harper's Bazaar that Beyonce was suffering badly with sickness, but pasted a smile on her face and went for it.

"She was absolutely incredible, especially as she was barfing in between," Gwyn laughed.

So just how did Beyonce keep her happy news secret until that iconic reveal at the MTV VMAs two months later?

Rumours started almost as soon as the conception, with backstage staff being issued with a new list for her backstage rider.

An insider told Anna Pointer's biography Beyonce: Running The World that the star's usual rider "contained KFC, junk food, chocolate... then all of a sudden she wanted only healthy options - fruit juices, vegetables, water, strictly no alcohol".

"There was a mad panic to get her what she wanted in time," the mole added.

She and Jay also opted to stay at the exclusive Babington House Hotel during the Glasto weekend instead of camping in the VIP area with the other celebs.

They were flown between the luxurious accommodation - which featured its own outdoor hot tub inside their Walled Garden Suite - and Worthy Farm by helicopter, so pregnant Bey could have more privacy, and rest when she needed to.

Amazingly, the star's cover could have been rumbled directly after Glasto too, when she travelled to London to film a one-off concert, A Night With Beyonce, for ITV.

**Bey's bump was too small to be seen - although she did keep touching her stomach protectively. Photo: Corbis via Getty Images.**

The knackered singer was unable to muster the energy to sing for the entire recording and her vocals gave out thanks to the previous weeks of her gruelling work schedule, so she cut the set short and covered up her failing voice by enlisting the audience to sing her final song, Countdown.

Over the next few weeks, Beyonce was photographed in loose-fitting clothing, but the rumours started shifting up a gear.

It was on the red carpet at the Video Music Awards on August 28 that Bey and Jay finally went public with their news. Wearing a floor-length orange Lanvin gown on the red carpet, Beyonce carefully turned to the side in front of the cameras, pressed her hands to her stomach and announced: "I have a surprise!"

Hours later, the superstar performed her smash hit Love On Top wearing high-waisted trousers and a glittery purple jacket. Right at the end, she ripped open her jacket and once again cupped her bump in front of the camera, sending the audience wild.

"I want you to stand up on your feet," she told them. "I want you to feel the love that's growing inside me."

The camera panned over to Jay-Z, who was grinning from ear to ear as Kanye West jumped up and down hugging him. She has spoken previously about continuing to perform while in the early stages of pregnancy, admitting it has been a source of strain.

"The whole time I definitely was thinking, 'Everyone knows, everyone can see,'" she laughed in one interview.

"When you're pregnant, it's a little bit harder to breathe, so it was hard doing all the choreography and singing at the same time."

The couple welcomed Blue Ivy in January 2012, followed by twins Rumi and Sir in June 2017.