REALITY show romances aren’t always a bed of roses – with many falling apart in months.
But in rare cases, ‘showmances’ turn into lasting relationships – and even produce a few babies.
This week Emmerdale stars Laura Norton and Mark Jordan revealed they’re expecting baby number two
This week Emmerdale co-stars Laura Norton and Mark Jordan revealed they’re expecting baby number two.
The couple, who play Kerry Wyatt and Daz Spencer, fell in love on the set of the Yorkshire-based soap in 2014 and welcomed their first child, son Jesse, in February last year.
The pair join a host of TV stars who have become parents in recent years after meeting on a show.
From Dancing On Ice to Love Island, these are the telly romances that led to little bundles of joy.
Gorka Marquez and Gemma Atkinson – Strictly
Although they weren’t dance partners on the show, Gorka and Gemma waltzed into each other’s arms after the 2017 series wrapped.
Finalist Gemma – who was partnered with Aljaz in the show – gave birth to baby Mia on July 4, 2019.
She claimed that she only decided she wanted to be a mum after falling for the Spanish dancer.
Gorka and Gemma met on Strictly and started dating after the series ended
She told Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast: “Until I met Gorka, I couldn’t picture myself with a family with anybody because the relationships that I had previously weren’t stable enough for me to even consider having a child.”
The former Hollyoaks star, 37, frequently posts cute pictures of her daughter on Instagram, to the delight of her 1.8million followers.
So will little Mia be following her talented parents on to the dancefloor?
Camilla Thurlow and Jamie Jewitt – Love Island
Camilla and Jamie with their two daughters
Camilla, 33, and Jamie, 32, found true love on the reality dating show in 2017, and have been going strong ever since.
In October 2020 they announced the birth of their baby girl, Nell, with a cute picture of the new arrival.
Camilla wrote: “There may be a thousand new photos on my camera roll, but none of them could ever do justice to the way you have lit up our lives.”
The couple got married in a star-studded ceremony last year, and welcomed their second daughter Nora in May.
Jamie proposed by dressing up Nell in a babygro featuring the words “Mummy, will you marry my Daddy?”
Samia and Sylvain Longchambon – Dancing On Ice
Samia and Sylvain with Freya and Yves
Corrie star Samia was already a mum to Freya, her 12-year-old daughter to first husband Matt Smith, when she fell for Sylvain on the set of the skating show in 2013.
Their son, Yves Joseph Longchambon, was born on 24 September 2015 and the couple wed a year later.
The soapland stunner, 40, announced the baby’s birth on Twitter, writing: “@Slongchambon and I are so happy and in love beyond words with our beautiful boy.”
She told OK! that daughter Freya, then six, was besotted with her little brother.
“She holds him every day when she gets in from school,” she said. “She loves him and she keeps giving my mum advice on how to handle Yves.”
Jessica Shears and Dom Lever – Love Island
Jessica and Dom with their brood
After meeting in the Love Island villa in 2017, Jess, 29, and Dom, 31, tied the knot a year later.
Their first son Presley arrived in 2019 but the couple kept his gender under wraps for three months, only revealing they were having a boy on the In the Duffle Bag podcast.
Jess gave birth to their second little boy in June.
The couple share a stunning home reportedly nestled “right in between the moors and the beach” in Devon, making it the perfect place to raise a family.
Beckie and Adam Ryan – Take Me Out
Adam met Beckie on the dating show and the couple are now proud parents to Indigo
Adam actually chose to pair up with another contestant when he appeared on the matchmaking show in 2016, but after his date he messaged hairdresser Beckie Finch to say he’d made a mistake.
Beckie, now 34, forgave him and the couple wed in April 2017 in Surrey.
Son Indigo arrived a day after their first wedding anniversary and, initially, suffered from reflux meaning frequent hospital visits.
“It’s made us completely inseparable now – Adam and I went through all that together,” Beckie told HOAR.
The couple welcomed a second son, Rocket, in May 2021.
Cara De La Hoyde and Nathan Massey – Love Island
Cara and Nathan have two gorgeous Love Island offspring
The couple found love in the villa in 2016 but it wasn’t all plain sailing.
They split a year later, while Cara was pregnant with the couple’s first child, Freddie, born in summer 2018.
But the pair later reunited and went on to marry in June 2019 before welcoming their second child, Delilah, in August 2020.
Nathan described Cara as his “hero” after her difficult birth.
He added: “Just want to say one thing: Us blokes could never in a million years go through what women do, so every woman that gives birth – hats off to you because I don’t think us geezers have got the pain threshold.”
Ibiba Mudada and Aarron Stewart – First Dates
The couple announced their news on the dating show
Less than a year after meeting on First Dates in 2016, Ibiba Mudada and Aarron Stewart returned to the show to announce they were having a baby.
The couple welcomed a little girl called Aziza on April 22, 2017.
Aaron said: “It’s true that our meeting and the speed with which we’ve started a family is certainly far from traditional.
“And it is hardly ideal to do everything so fast. But that is the nature of modern Britain. Things move at a much faster pace these days.”
The couple now like to keep their family life private.
Robyn and Stuart Smith – Take Me Out
Little Indigo arrived almost exactly a year after their wedding
Robyn had never had a serious boyfriend before she met Stuart on Take Me Out, on her 25th birthday, in 2013.
IT trainer Stu whisked her off to the legendary isle of Fernando’s and the couple wed in 2017.
Little Dylan, who Robyn describes as their “beautiful little monkey” arrived in March 2019.
In an interview with HOAR, in February, Robyn said: “He’s a good baby – he sleeps, eats and loves everything. Stu’s such a hands on dad.
“Take Me Out brought us together – I think it was fate to be honest.”
