Glam SamCam quits her job on second day as Prime Minister's wife

Samantha wore a Philip Lim cocoon wool jacket and Vivienne Westwood knee-length dress

Samantha Cameron today announced she had stepped down from her role as creative director of upmarket stationery firm Smythson.

The Prime Minister's wife, who is five months pregnant, said she would now act as a creative consultant for the company working two days a week.

Mrs Cameron, 39, said: 'This is a personal decision made when I discovered I was pregnant and one that I have been considering for some time during what has been an understandably difficult year.

'As a creative consultant working two days a week I will be involved in all the same areas as before, however I will not be directly responsible for them.

'I look forward to my changed role and balancing it with my new day-to-day life as well as being able to spend more time with my children.'

Mr and Mrs Cameron have two children, six-year-old Nancy and four-year-old Arthur Elwen, and are expecting a baby in September.

Their six-year-old son Ivan, who suffered from cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy, died last February.

Mrs Cameron told reporters during the General Election campaign that she would continue to work if her husband David became Prime Minister.

She has been at Smythson, a thriving Bond Street firm selling leather goods and stationery, for 14 years. In 2009 she picked up a Glamour Award for Accessories Designer of the Year.

The announcement came on her second day as Prime Minister's wife.

This morning she looked immaculate as she left her Notting Hill home on the way to the office.

She covered her growing baby bump in a Philip Lim cocoon wool jacket,Vivienne Westwood knee-length dress, £215, and flat peep-toes from Zara, keeping it simple again with minimal accessories save a pair of hoop earrings.

Yesterday she wore a maternity dress she borrowed from a friend, teamed with a grey Joseph jacket, Russell and Bromley flat pumps and a tote bag made by her company Smythson.

Meanwhile the Miriam Clegg, 41, sported a sleek new bob and looked polished on her way to work with a make-up free complexion and wearing a beige trench, black pants and flat pumps.

Both have very different images. Beaming Samantha, who drove the children to school in her people carrier but later in the morning was driven to Downing Street, adopted a far higher profile in the election campaign.

The pair will now, rather like their husbands, have to get to know each other a little bit better as they attend official engagements together.

Throughout the campaign, SamCam - like the other leader's wives Sarah Brown and Mrs Clegg - has served to show her husband's softer side and reveal more about his personal life.

And her pregnancy - the Camerons are expecting their fourth child in September - has not been an obstacle to style.

Stylist Ceril Campbell who runs workshops through discoverthenewyou.co.uk, said Samantha has an innate sense of style which allowed her to look good without the help of designer labels.

She said: 'She understands fashion and she understands what is needed when you've become a brand yourself to be appropriate for that brand.

'She has a knack of looking good. I think that is just in you. You can improve someone's style but you can't thrust it upon them.'

Old modelling shots of Samantha came to light two months ago, revealing her more vampish side and prompting tabloid headlines of 'Move over Carla Bruni'.

Posing for a female designer friend, in one shot she donned a sheepskin dress and knee-high boots to lie on the floor cuddling a kitten.

But SamCam insisted she was not 'permanently glamorous'.

In an interview with Grazia, she said: 'It is definitely very stressful trying to get to work and the kids off to school on time, while spending longer on your make-up etc, and most importantly remembering to pick the cereal out of your teeth before facing the photographers outside.'

Samantha Cameron leaves her Notting Hill home immaculately made up and wearing simple hoop earrings

Samantha gave her first television interview to ITV's Trevor McDonald in March, echoing Gordon Brown's wife Sarah in revealing personal details about her husband.

She said Mr Cameron was 'definitely not perfect' and had 'lots of very irritating habits' such as being messy around the house.

But she added: 'We've been together for 18 years now and we've been through some fairly tough times, and I can honestly say that I don't think in all that time he's ever let me down.'

Related articles by Zemanta

• Samantha Cameron to take leading role in Tory election campaign (telegraph.co.uk)
• Samantha Cameron: The new first lady of fashion (thestar.com)
• The Queen's unfortunate parting gift to Gordon Brown (guardian.co.uk)