Michelle Keegan admitted the scrutiny about her plans to start a family really got to her before she fell pregnant.
The Coronation Street actress, 37, has announced she is expecting her first child with husband Mark Wright and shared that next year is going to be extra special for them. Taking to Instagram to share the exciting news with their followers, they posted a picture of Michelle lovingly holding her bump with Mark, 37, looking on.
The happy couple first crossed paths on holiday in Dubai in 2012, and Mark proposed just a year later. In 2015, they tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony and have since faced pressure to start a family for almost a decade, with most of the grilling going to Michelle, which she has attributed to gender bias and sexism.
When the pair would post pictures of their nieces and nephews, they would be flooded with speculation about their decision to start a family. Speaking previously to the Mirror, Michelle admitted the scrutiny got to her and hit back that "it's no one else's business" She said: "It's horrible. People don't know if we're trying. They don't know the background of what's happening.
"In this day and age, you shouldn't be asking questions like that. I'm asked purely because I'm a woman. I'm immune to it now – it's like a reaction, and as soon as I hear it I brush it off as it's no one else's business."
Michelle and Mark were bombarded with intrusive comments about their family planning choices in April 2023, after the former TOWIE star posted a picture of himself and his wife cradling their tiny premature nephew on social media. Dustin Wright, who was born 12 weeks early, was peacefully sleeping in Michelle's arms as she and Mark smiled for the camera.
The photo triggered a flurry of comments from Instagram users questioning when Mark and Michelle would become parents themselves, with one saying: "Come on you two, pull your fingers out. It's time now." The commentary about her reproductive choices reportedly left Michelle "furious" and "incredibly angry" at the time.
However, the actress has always been open about her wishes to start a family. In an earlier interview from 2018 with Women's Health, she remarked: "I've always been broody. I love kids, and I want four, so hopefully in the near future."
Mark once told The Sun about their plans for children: "We say we're going to try [for a baby] every year but something comes up with work. So it'll be Michelle filming in South Africa and then I got the job in Los Angeles – so we think, right, we'll try next year. With kids, I used to want three or four. But now, I'm 31, we're not having kids any time before 32. I think we could have two or three. Twins would be great because you're getting two out of the way at once."