Michelle Keegan has been working non-stop ever since joining Coronation Street in her very first acting role in 2008. But now, the actress is planning on taking a year off work to focus on her new role – being a parent. She recently revealed, ‘I’m going to take a good chunk of time off to enjoy being a mum. I’m never normally at home in the summer, I’ve always been away working, so I can’t wait.’
Michelle, 37, and Mark Wright, 38, tied the knot in a lavish ceremony almost 10 years ago, and since then, have set themselves up in a £3.5million mega-mansion in Essex, which they built from scratch. Back in December, they revealed they were expecting their first child, much to the delight of their combined nine million Instagram followers, and Michelle is now taking a step back from work to prepare for their new arrival.
The actress has been finishing up filming the seventh and final series of popular Sky comedy Brassic, and in an interview with Grazia magazine last week, she revealed that she’s taking maternity leave until the end of the year, when she’s signed on for ‘a big new job’. She also spoke out about her pregnancy cravings, revealing she had swapped her usual savoury faves for ‘sugary stuff’ and saying, ‘I’ll eat a chocolate bar walking around the supermarket and just give them the wrapper at the checkout.’ Our source adds, ‘Michelle is so excited to meet her baby now.’
And dad-to-be Mark – who rose to fame on The Only Way Is Essex back in 2010 – also can’t wait for the little one’s arrival. Our source says, ‘Mark can’t get his head around how much space one tiny baby is going to be taking up— luckily, they have a big house. He knows life is about to completely change, but he’s more excited than scared.’
The source adds that, like Michelle, Mark is trying to prepare himself as best he can for being a parent. We’re told, ‘Some friends bought him a copy of What To Expect When You’re Expecting and a few other parenting books. He and Michelle are already thinking about what they’ll need to take to the hospital. Mark will be supporting her however he can, and he’ll be a hands-on dad once the baby is born – he’s not afraid to change nappies! For the moment, they’re both getting as much sleep as they possibly can, as they know that will soon be difficult.’
Before announcing the pregnancy, the couple had been plagued for years with questions about if they’d be having children, with Mark once joking, ‘It’s hard work with the pressure of having babies. We’re going to give birth to an ugly duckling and let everyone down.’
Michelle also opened up about the pressure she faced last week, saying, ‘Around the time we got married, I was open about the fact that I wanted to have a family. But then, because we didn’t choose to have children within a certain time, there was lots of speculation.’
But now they have announced their joyous news, Marchelle are facing speculation of a different kind. We’re told, ‘Mark’s friends have a sweepstake about the gender. As far as names go, he and Michelle have both agreed they don’t want anything too faddy – they’re both fans of more traditional names.’
The source adds that the pair have also got childcare locked down, too, with Mark’s brother Josh and sister Jess – who are both parents themselves – as well as his mum Carol and Michelle’s family all ready to get stuck in. We’re told, ‘They won’t be hiring a nanny, as their families are all keen to help out.’