It’s been a good day for celebrity babies, as Robert Pattinson’s daughter, Mia, was named person of the year on Twitter after becoming the social media platform’s most followed user. It’s also been an excellent day for the British celebrity industry, as several of our favourite celebs’ babies were born on the same day. From Jack Whitehall to Stacey Solomon, Kate Moss, and Emily Blunt, these mums-to-be have had their baby showers and are now ready to welcome their new arrivals in the world. We can’t help but wonder, though, what this means for the celebrity marriages around the world. Will these new parents stay together? Can their blended family still function? Has the world changed in 100 years? Let’s take a moment to remember some of the biggest celebrity couplings and see how their relationships fared.
Shannon Briggs and Pete Dobbie: An Unlikely Union
It’s fair to say that Shannon Briggs and Pete Dobbie have had an unusual romance. The American actress starred alongside the English rocker in several films, including 1965’s Mad About the Boy. A few years later, she gave birth to a daughter, Amy. Her son, Sam, was born in 1978, and the actress and her partner have been together ever since. The family now resides in the United Kingdom, and their blended family continues to grow with the addition of son Jude in 2018. The couple wed in 1992 and have three children together. The children’s godmother is the fashion icon Elle MacLeman. Shannon’s character actress cousin, Lily Collins, is also a member of the wedding party.
It’s fair to say that Shannon and Pete’s union hasn’t always been an easy one. The couple initially met while filming Mad About the Boy in London and spent a lot of time apart while filming the movie. During one of their brief reunions on the set of the film, an on-screen kiss between the actress and her Romeo led to their first meeting being filmed. A month later, the actress gave birth to their first daughter, Amy. In the years that followed, the couple continued to work together, with Shannon often going on location while Pete remained in the United Kingdom. Finally, they made the decision to settle down together. The family relocated to St. Lucia in the Caribbean in 1994, where they began renovations on a dream home.
Despite the challenging circumstances of their early years together, Shannon and Pete have enjoyed a good marriage. The couple celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2014 and continue to enjoy a very stable relationship. The actress has also been a leading light in the battle for gay rights. Pete, meanwhile, is an outspoken supporter of both women’s rights and gay rights. He has been a vocal campaigner for Stacey Solomon, who he supported on the 2016 British election campaign trail.
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham: A Modern Day Romeo and Juliet
It would be a missed opportunity not to mention the famous Beckhams, given their worldwide following and the fact that they currently hold the crown as the most followed celebrity couple on social media. The former professional footballer and his fashion designer wife, Victoria, have been a power couple since their start in the industry in the early 2010s. They are arguably the most high-profile celebrity couple in the world today, and their blended family continues to grow with the addition of their first child, daughter Genevieve, in 2019.
Like many celebrity couples, David and Victoria initially met on the set of a television show. The couple worked together on the filming of Victoria’s fashion magazine show, What Goes On, and gradually developed a closer relationship. In 2012, the former footballer proposed to his fashion designer bride during a walk in Hyde Park. The proposal, which was broadcast live on television, was followed by an extravagant wedding in June 2013. The happy couple honeymooned in Italy and have enjoyed an incredibly romantic storybook wedding and honeymoon ever since. Their daughter, Genevieve, was born in May 2019 and made an appearance at the wedding ceremony. Like many other celebrity couples, the Becks are now a prominent LGBT+ ally and have established a number of foundations that support and empower members of the community.
Kate Moss and Jamie Parker: Love Is a Many-Splendoured Thing
Another famous gay couple, who work in tandem, with Victoria Beckham, is Kate Moss and Jamie Parker. The English fashion model and her long-term partner, Parker, became famous in their own right for their work with the fashion house Christian Dior in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They are considered two of the most beautiful and influential models in the world today. They began collaborating in the mid-2000s and have since worked together on a number of projects, including the launch of Kate’s lingerie collection in February 2019.
As with many other celebrity couples, Kate and Jamie enjoy a very close and committed relationship. The couple began dating when they were both 18 and have never looked back. They are firm friends with Victoria and David Beckham, as well as Elle MacLeman, Pete Tong and Lily Collins. The models are now a proud and vocal couple, campaigning for LGBT+ rights and speaking out against stigma. In 2019, they became patron ambassadors of the UK’s largest LGBT+ network, Stonewall. Earlier that year, Kate was named British Fashion Icon at the BFC ICONS Awards, and in 2020 she received a prestigious MBE from Her Majesty the Queen.
Emily Blunt and John Krasinski: A Modern Day Truman Show
One of the most high-profile celebrity couplings in recent years has been that of American actress Emily Blunt and British actor John Krasinski. The couple became engaged in 2016 and married in a glittering ceremony in February 2019. The wedding was widely reported as being one of the most lavish celebrity events of the year, as the bride opted for an ivory dress with a lace overlay and a diamante belt. The couple are both members of the famed Bridesmaids group and are often photographed together. They are known for their close collaboration and have stated that they regularly work on projects together.
After a relatively private engagement, Blunt and Krasinski made the decision to share the love and commitment to each other more widely, which is reflected in the form of their growing family. The former is the mother of two sons, Jack and Finn, and the couple are also grandparents to Milo and Laila. They welcomed their first child, Arthur, in April 2018. Since then, they have revealed that they are enjoying being a family of four.
Jack Whitehall and Oliver Heldens: A Growing Family
It’s been a good year for celebrity pregnancies as several of our favourite celebs’ babies were born in 2019. In January, it was announced that Stacey Solomon and Jack Whitehall are expecting their first child together in April 2020. Solomon is due to give birth to the couple’s first child; the actress is set to become a mother for the fifth time.
The couple wed in December 2018 and have been enjoying a wonderful time planning the huge wedding that is expected to celebrate the birth of their first child. It’s fair to say that Jack and Stacey’s marital bliss has been well-documented, with the celebrity couple often going on tour and sharing their special moments on social media. They were one of the first celebrity couples to be open about their struggles with addiction and have both been candid about their relapses. In the wake of his relapses, the actor has remained open about his battles with alcoholism and how this influences his personal life. In 2020, he received a treatment order that will keep him sober for the next 12 months. His commitment to staying clean has certainly helped his romance with Stacey flourish.
The actor also found the time to propose to his partner during a sunset walk on Hampstead Heath in June 2019. The proposal, which was documented in an intimate video shared across social media, was sweet and emotional and gave many people the impression that the couple were already aware of their engagement. They made a conscious decision to keep the information close to their chests for the time being, until the right moment to share their exciting news with the world. As with many other celebrity engagements, excitement grew over the summer of 2019 as the couple began to plan their wedding. With a little more than a year to go until their big day, the couple are still going strong and continue to inspire others with their positivity. It’s fair to say that they will be a busy couple in the coming months, but as long as Jack remains sober and committed, we’re sure that their union will be worth it.