Michelle Keegan, 37, pregnant with first child as she and Mark Wright start family

Former Coronation Street actress Michelle Keegan is expecting her first child with husband and former TOWIE star Mark Wright, with the happy couple announcing the news to fans on Sunday night

Actress Michelle Keegan has excitedly announced that she is expecting her first child with husband Mark Wright.

The former Coronation Street actress, 37, tied the knot with The Only Way Is Essex star back in May 2015. Almost ten years on, they are now starting a family together as both their careers continue to soar.

Taking to Instagram on Sunday night, Michelle and Mark shared a joint post with their respective followers announcing the news. "2025 is going to be a special one for us… [baby emoji. love heart emoji]," the caption read. The image shared by the happy couple showed Michelle cradling a baby bump on the beach with Mark looking on.

James Argent, Mark's best friend, was one of the first to comment. "I love you and I’m so happy for you both," the former TOWIE star told the parents-to-be. "Your [sic] going to be amazing parents. I can’t wait to be a Uncle." Former Corrie star Georgia May added; "Omg congratulations to you both."

The couple's happy news follows years of intrusive speculation from fans and family members about if and when the two stars would start a family together. Speaking in 2020, former soap star Michelle revealed her loved ones had finally stopped asking when she was going to have a baby.

"I get asked about children whereas Mark wouldn't for example," she explained to Women's Health. Michelle continued to add: "Why haven't I had a child? When am I going to have a child?' I don't know what they want me to say. I don't know what the right or wrong answer is." When quizzed if her family ask her the dreaded question, the star laughed and replied: "Not any more!... People don’t mean any harm by it, but they know what the answer’s going to be."

The Fool Me Once star previously opened up about constantly being asked unsolicited questions about when she expected to have children, with Michelle branding the invasive questions as 'horrible'. Speaking to The Mirror about being asked about baby plans, she said: “It’s horrible. People don’t know if we’re trying. They don’t know the background of what’s happening. In this day and age, you shouldn’t be asking questions like that. I’m asked purely because I’m a woman. But I’m immune to it now – it’s like a reaction, and as soon as I hear it I brush it off as it’s no one else’s business.”

In 2018, Michelle told Women's Health: "I've always been broody. I love kids, and I want four, so hopefully in the near future." Meanwhile, her husband Mark, also 37, previously told The Sun: "We say we're going to try [for a baby] every year but something comes up with work.

"So it'll be Michelle filming in South Africa and then I got the job in Los Angeles – so we think, right, we'll try next year. With kids, I used to want three or four. But now, I'm 31, we're not having kids any time before 32. I think we could have two or three. Twins would be great because you're getting two out of the way at once."

Michelle and Mark were both flooded with invasive comments regarding their family planning choices in April 2023, as the former TOWIE star shared a snap of himself and his wife cuddling their tiny premature nephew on social media. Dustin Wright, who was born 12 weeks early, was happily asleep in Michelle's arms as she and Mark beamed for the camera.

The snap sparked a wave of comment from Instagram users asking when Mark and Michelle would become parents themselves, with one writing: "Come on you two, pull your fingers out. It's time now." The commentary about her reproductive choices reportedly left Michelle "furious" and "incredibly angry" at the time.

Lovebirds Mark and Michelle met while on separate holidays in Dubai at the end of 2012. They confirmed their relationship with an appearance at the 2013 National Television Awards a month later, and a showbiz power couple was born. Just nine months after making their relationship official, the couple headed back to Dubai, where a besotted Mark popped the question and Michelle said yes.

At the time, Mark told The Mirror after the proposal: "I've got now, for the first time in my life, what I've always wanted and what every boy dreams of – affection in a relationship, love, best friend, a girl I fancy... everything rolled into one." After his whirlwind proposal, Mark and Michelle tied the knot at St Mary's Church in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. The couple then celebrated with a lavish reception at Hengrave Hall, a Tudor mansion.

A year after their stunning wedding day, Michelle's role on Our Girl took her to far flung-destinations including South East Asia and South Africa for filming - forcing the couple to go long distance. Former TOWIE star Mark then bagged his 'dream' role in the States presenting for entertainment channel E! prompting him to divide his time between Essex and Los Angeles.

Speaking about how they got through the time spent apart, Michelle said on the Jonathan Ross show: "We were apart for about four months. It was really tough. People said how did you deal with it and stuff. Thank god for FaceTime and things like that. You're on a countdown the whole time just to get home. I had six months off when I went home, so I went to America."

After Michelle quit Our Girl in 2019 and Mark stepped down from his role in the States, the pair both returned to their home in Essex where they spent years renovating their perfect property before eventually moving into the lavish mansion.

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