Dick and Angel Strawbridge share struggles with 'bad timing' as children meet new baby

Dick and Angel Strawbridge made an admission about introducing their children to a new family member (Image: ITV)

Dick and Angel Strawbridge confessed the "timing was bad" after an unfortunate moment when they introduced their children to a new member of the family.

The Escape to the Chateau stars recently took son Arthur, 11, and 10-year-old daughter Dorothy to meet Heidi, the couple's great-niece. While Dorothy was eager for the encounter, Arthur appeared cautious.

On their podcast, the Strawbridges recounted how they made a swift departure from Stockton-on-Tees during their stage tour to visit little Heidi. Despite some initial nerves, Dorothy quickly warmed up to the new family member.

Angel said: "This was a real first for her to have a baby in her life that she has a connection with.

"And as we were driving 10 or 15 minutes, she says all of a sudden, 'I'm really nervous about holding Heidi, meeting Heidi' and I could see it in her face. So we said nerves and excitement sit back-to-back on the emotional scale. You're excited, just love every minute of it."

Dick and Angel Strawbridge introduced their children to a new family member. (Image: (Image: INSTAGRAM))

Dick chimed in with his own observation: "The moment Heidi started to wake up, I was a bit naughty and said, 'shall I take Heidi and have a little hold of her?' and both mummy (Sarah) and Dorothy were saying, 'no, no'.

"So Dorothy got to hold Heidi and, literally, I thought she wasn't going to put her down. She spent the whole duration just carrying Heidi around, enjoying being with her.

"As a 10-year-old, Dorothy took it very seriously, the way she held Heidi and was looking after her. She was asking all of the questions to make sure she did it right."

Angel shared, adding that Dorothy "instinctively" knew how to support Heidi's head. However, Dick humorously expressed the family's worry that their son Arthur "wouldn't realise she wasn't a rugby ball".

Dick and Angel Strawbridge. (Image: (Image: CHANNEL 4))

Angel commented: "It was adorable, and you could see he wanted to have that connection with Heidi, and he did, but I think the timing was just bad on the first one."

Dick chimed in: "Because Heidi cried."

Dick went on to explain his own father's tradition of having an "obligatory" photo with a grandchild when they were still "floppy". But once they could walk, he would spend hours playing with them.

The TV star continued: "I had to explain that to Arthur, so he realised, not all blokes understand floppiness and floppy heads."

Dick and Angel Strawbridge are current on tour. (Image: Channel 4)

"But when it came to David and I, he had four girls and we've got the kids so we're much more comfortable. And Arthur was watching all the time because you have to see how people behave with babies to know what to do," he added.

Angel concluded by saying that Arthur eventually felt more at ease holding the baby after she fell asleep.

This led her to commend the children's unique qualities, with Arthur showing entrepreneurial spirit by selling jam, and Dorothy displaying maternal instincts by buying a gift for the baby.