Ollie and Gareth Locke have shared their emotional journey to parenthood and their evolving plans for expanding their family after a challenging surrogacy experience. The Made In Chelsea couple became parents to twins, a boy and a girl, last summer after a lengthy and difficult path to having children.
Now, they’ve revealed they’re considering adoption rather than pursuing surrogacy again. In an exclusive interview with The Mirror, Gareth said: “Life is very busy with twins. We went on a four-year journey to have them, and there was a lot of heartbreak in that. They're such amazing kids that you can’t help but feel like maybe we should have more. I think we’re counting our luck at the moment, and we’re very happy with the two, but never say never.”
Ollie, added: “I think we’d be very lucky to have two fabulous kids, and if we think about it later down the line, we may well consider adoption.”
When asked if they would opt for surrogacy again, Gareth said: “Probably not this time, it really was a tough journey. Anyone going through it, I really take my hat off to them because it can be so difficult and heartbreaking.”
Gareth also acknowledged the financial strain, saying: “We’ve spent a lot of money on surrogacy, and having two children is a lot in terms of finances. For us, the responsible thing to do right now is focus on the kids we have. And as Ollie said, we have talked about the idea of adopting, probably in 5, 6, or 7 years.”
The couple faced a challenging three-year surrogacy journey before welcoming their twins into the world. Taking to Instagram last year, Ollie shared: "Guys, the news we've been wanting to tell you for so many years – we are finally dads!" said Ollie in an Instagram video before Gareth said: "The twins are here," and Ollie added: "And you can only see them on our YouTube channel!"
Apollo Magnus Obi and Cosima Emily Bex were born seven weeks early. Ollie admitted it was "scary" and said the couple waited to share the news until they knew the babies were "safe." Apollo was born weighing 3lb 10oz and Cosima was 2lb 11oz. In the YouTube video shared on Sunday, Ollie said: "The babies were born six weeks ago. It has been a scary time, they have been in neonatal intensive care for quite a long time."
Gareth added: "It was something we didn't want to share until we had them safe, back home with us and all part of the family. It is down to the amazing NHS team in the neonatal units we've been in that means we've got the kids home now and the real daddying is about to begin." Speaking to Hello!, Ollie shared: "Our little monkeys decided to be really strong. They wanted to come out early because they felt they were ready, and they were absolutely amazing. They needed a bit of help, but not as much as a lot of premature babies."
The couple paid tribute to two very special people in their lives with Cosima's middle names. She is named after Ollie’s close friend Emily Hartridge, a YouTuber who passed away in 2019 and the couple’s surrogate, Bex Ward, who gave birth to the twins on 8 July. The couple married in 2020 in front of 13 guests with 48 hours' notice, including bridesmaids Binky Felstead and Olivia Bentley, who have both starred in Made In Chelsea. Olivia has since shared that she has been chosen as Apollo's godmother.
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