Recover whatsapp messages without backup
Hi,
I accidentally deleted the Whatsapp app from my phone. I haven't done an iCloud backup since September 2016 as my iCloud is full and I don't back up to iTunes. Is there any was to recover my messages? I have reinstalled whatsapp but the app cannot detect any iCloud backups. I've seen endless expensive third-party recovery software online - are any of these legit? I'd rather avoid them if possible as I don't trust them/want to download the software on my iMac.
Any advice greatly appreciated.