She’s been juggling motherhood with work, enjoying time with her baby daughter Palma in between filming new ITV crime thriller The Blame. Now, heat has learned that first-time parents Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright have been thinking about potentially making Palma a big sister.
‘Michelle and Mark are absolutely loving being parents. The truth is, they haven’t stopped thinking about expanding their brood, but it just always comes down to timing,’ we’re told. ‘The scary part is just how quickly the past six months have whizzed by, and it’s really made them think about giving Palma a sibling, what kind of age-gap they want, and what timing would make most sense for them. Obviously, they waited a while to start their family, and they know that they don’t have all the time in the world now to come to a decision on the next one.’
Mark and Michelle, both 38, became parents six months ago and have cherished every moment as a family of three, gushing they have found ‘a new love’. Michelle described the baby bubble as ‘simply magic’, while Mark said, ‘It’s incredible, we’re just enjoying being parents’, before calling fatherhood ‘the best feeling’. Amid mum duties, Michelle has thrown herself back into work. She finished filming the last-ever scenes for Brassic in May, with Mark and Palma joining her on set. Then, earlier this month, The Blame began filming, and last week, she appeared in a new advert for Sky after previously signing a six-figure deal to become the face of the brand. And we’re told that Michelle’s workaholic mode is all for good reason.
‘Michelle has let slip that one of the reasons why she is taking on so many projects right now is to create a possible window of opportunity later if she does end up pregnant again,’ our insider says. ‘It’s scary because on one hand, she wonders how on earth she is going to do it all, and on the other hand, she thinks it would be best to do it now and hope she keeps the career momentum going when she is ready to go back to work.’
The couple, who married in 2015, have spoken about wanting a big family. In 2018, Michelle revealed, ‘I’ve always been broody. I love kids and I want four’, while Mark said, ‘I used to want three or four. But now, I think we could have two or three. Twins would be great because you’re getting two out of the way at once!’
Our source continues, ‘Michelle does look at how quickly Palma is growing up and wonders if they need to just go for it. She’s been doing research about the challenges of having two under two and it’s taken her aback, as she knows it could be mentally and physically exhausting. She’s also looking at the positives, and how there would be a strong sibling bond. Michelle thinks by the second child, she would be feeling even more confident than she is now.’
Meanwhile, Mark – who presents a weekend radio show with close friend Olly Murs – is happy to be a stay-at-home dad and for Michelle to continue pursuing these career opportunities.
‘Mark is all for it, but he also doesn’t want to seem like he’s piling any pressure on Michelle,’ we’re told. ‘He knows how focused she has been on her career. Both Mark and Michelle feel as though they could handle it and just trust in one another.
‘But there is a lot to consider, and Michelle still feels torn over it.’