JLS star Aston Merrygold has announced he is expecting his first baby with girlfriend Sarah Lou Richards. The 29-year-old, who is taking part in the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing, shared the happy news with his fans on Instagram, and admitted he had struggled to keep the news of the pregnancy a secret. Aston shared a series of photos showing him and Sarah sat at a table with a spare seat 'reserved' for their baby, along with a photo of their child's scan.
He wrote: "On May 29th 2017 we found out that our lives were going to change forever this secret has been so hard to keep, but I'm so excited to finally be able to share the news with everybody that me and my beautiful lady are going to be parents!!!!!! I'm NEVER speechless but words can't describe how I feel… All I know is there's no feeling like it!"
He then sweetly added: "Sar, I promise to be the best daddy ever to our baby boy/girl. You are an amazing woman and going to be the greatest mum to our child! Thank you for continuously making me the happiest man ever! I love you. Hurry up bump we can't wait to meet you."
Aston and Sarah have been inundated with messages of congratulations from family, fans and friends – including bandmate Marvin Humes and his wife Rochelle. The couple, who share two daughters, Alaia-Mai, four, and Valentina, born in March this year, were among those celebrating the exciting news, with Marvin writing: "Over the moon for my brother and sister @AstonMerrygold & @SarahLouRichards on the incredible news that Baby Merrygold is cooking! Can't wait to be an uncle again! So happy for you two, the baby is gonna have a lot of energy boy!"
Rochelle also sent a message to the parents-to-be. "Finally we can talk about it," she wrote. "Beyond excited to be an auntie to this little bubba that's on the way. The hardest secret to keep, I've been bursting. Roll on the New Year. I love you both so much."