With the arrival of a new royal baby looming, HELLO! have gathered some celebrities who, like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, became parents in 2019. The following babies are lucky enough to be born in the Year of the Pig, an animal that symbolizes wealth and prosperity, which will certainly be the case for the new royal arrival. Here are a few of the lucky parents whose children will share the same birth year as the new Prince or Princess…
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Ellis-Bextor and her husband Richard Jones welcomed their fifth child in early January, with Sophie revealing the news on Instagram alongside a picture of Richard holding their son. She wrote: "He's here! Mickey Jones born today weighing 7lb 1oz and he's absolutely gorgeous. Welcome to our quirky little family, sweet boy. We're so glad you're here safe. Xxxxxxxxxxxx." The couple are already parents to Sonny, 14, Kit, nine, Ray, six and Jesse, two.
Matthew and Amelia Wright
The couple's first child, Cassady, was born on 25 January, weighing five and a half pounds. The couple endured several rounds of unsuccessful IVF, resigning themselves to never becoming parents, before their happy pregnancy success. The couple spoke to HELLO! following the happy news: "It was our final roll of the dice… we've waited a long time for this moment. Every day we keep pinching ourselves because we can hardly believe it's finally happening."
Chemmy Alcott and Dougie Crawford
Olympic skier Chemmy Alcott and her husband Dougie Crawford welcomed their second child, a baby boy named Cooper, on Wednesday 16 January – a younger brother to Locki, aged two. The couple announced the news back in August, revealing exclusively to HELLO! that they had struggled to conceive their firstborn: "We always planned to try for a second baby after my work for the BBC at the Olympics. With Locki we struggled to conceive – I changed my diet, I started keeping watch on my fertile times, I quit coffee (very hard for me) and even started acupuncture to help get pregnant. So we expected to have similar struggles. However, the opposite happened!"
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Richard Gere and Alejandra Silva
HELLO!'s sister publication HOLA! revealed that the couple welcomed a baby boy in February. The pair both have children from previous marriages, with Richard being a proud father to 18-year-old Homer James Jigme and Alejandra a proud mum to six-year-old son Albert.
Ashley and Francesca Banjo
Ashley and wife Francesca welcomed their first child, a girl, on 21 February. The Diversity dancer revealed the exciting news on Instagram: "Our beautiful daughter came into the world at 6:45pm on 21st February 2019 - weighing a healthy 8lbs 13oz. Her name is Rose Adura Banjo. I am in the deepest love ever with my little family @francescabanjo I love you and am so proud #nextchapter." The Dancing on Ice judge also used Instagram to announce the initial pregnancy news, joking that he had the dancing shoes ready for his first child.
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Max and Leah Whitlock
Olympian gymnast Max Whitlock and wife Willow exclusively introduced daughter Willow to HELLO!. The beautiful baby girl arrived into the world on 23 February, weighing 7lbs 13. Despite the success of the athlete, including winning two Olympic gold medals, Max revealed that his baby daughter was his greatest ever achievement. The 26-year-old explained: "Results are so important to me – gym is what I've done since I was seven years old – but having a child is like nothing else, and the feeling is crazy."
Jessie Ware and Sam Burrows
The singer welcomed their second child, a baby boy, on 4 March. The Table Manners podcast host revealed the news on Instagram the day after the birth with a picture of the star with the newborn baby: "Last night I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy in my living room. I couldn't have done it without the MOST fantastic NHS Homerton Homebirthing team: Francine, Annie and Roisin. The level of care and kindness they offered us was incredible. Once again I'm reminded how much we should cherish our special NHS #saveournhs." Jessie and personal trainer husband, Sam Burrows, also have another daughter together, who was born in September 2016.
Erin O'Connor and Stephen Gibson
The 41-year-old model and her partner Stephen Gibson announced the arrival of their second child together on Instagram in March. Their new baby, named Eddie, will be a little brother to four-year-old Bertie. Erin kept the news of her pregnancy private until November.
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