Michelle Keegan has welcomed a daughter with husband Mark Wright.
She announced the news with an Instagram post on Wednesday as she shared a first look at her newborn and revealed her unusual name.
Michelle captioned the post: Together we have a new love to share… Our little girl. Palma Elizabeth Wright 06.03.25′.
In the sweet black and white photo, the proud new parents held Palma’s tiny hand, with the newborn dressed in a crochet set.
It’s believed the couple chose the name Palma because of their strong links to Mallorca, their go-to holiday destination and the setting for their pregnancy reveal photoshoot.
Former Coronation Street star Michelle, 37, married Mark, 37, in May 2015 and the couple live together in an Essex mansion they built from scratch.
Heart Radio host Mark, who rose to fame on ITVBe series TOWIE, is an uncle to footballer brother Josh’s two children as well as sister Jess’s son and had spoken at length over the years about wanting to become a father himself one day.
Michelle Keegan announced in an Instagram post on Thursday that she has welcomed her first child with husband Mark Wright – a baby daughter named Palma
It’s believed the couple chose the name Palma because of their strong links to Mallorca, their go-to holiday destination and the setting for their pregnancy reveal photoshoot
After announcing their baby news on Instagram, Mark and Michelle received hundreds of congratulatory messages from friends and family including from Rochelle Humes, Kelly Brook, Vicky Pattison, and best pal James ‘Arg’ Argent.
Arg wrote: ‘I love you and I’m so happy for you both, you’re going to be amazing parents. I can’t wait to be an uncle.’
Mark’s sister-in-law Hollie commented: ‘Josh and Dusty can not wait to meet their new cousin ❤️❤️.’
While Mark’s sister Natalya said: ‘So so happy for you both. The best news ever ✨.’
Rochelle and Marvin added: ‘Over the moon for you both ❤️’, ‘Amazing news guys..so happy for you both ❤️.’
Mark’s brother Josh posted: ‘Over the moon for you both and can’t wait for our boys to meet your little one ❤️.’
Sam Faiers, who previously dated Mark, wrote: ‘❤️ huge congratulations x.’
Last month, Michelle revealed she was looking forward to taking some ‘time off’ to focus on being a mother.
She told MailOnline: ‘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.’
Meanwhile, Mark gushed he’s ‘ecstatic to be a father’ as he revealed Olly Murs had been giving him parenting advice.
Last month, Michelle revealed she was looking forward to taking some ‘time off’ to focus on being a mother, while Mark said he was ‘ecstatic’ to become a father
The couple received hundreds of congratulatory messages from friends and family on their Instagram post including from Rochelle Humes, Kelly Brook, Vicky Pattison, and best pal Arg
He shared: ‘I’m extremely excited. I can’t wait for it to happen. I’m ecstatic.’
Talking about his close friendship with Olly, Mark revealed that the two have been discussing what it’s like to become a father.
The reality star said: ‘He’s just been telling me how excited I should be, and it’s an amazing ride. I saw him in action as well when we went to the Euros.
‘He’d just had a baby when we were in Germany, and he was telling me everything about it. He was so excited, and he just loves being a dad. He’s a great dad.’
Mark and Michelle’s joyous baby news is no doubt a welcome distraction for the pair after they were caught up in a terrifying home invasion at their £3.5million mansion in Essex last month.
The couple reportedly locked themselves in a bedroom when ‘four masked raiders broke into their home around 6pm’.
Mark and Michelle who were said to be ‘very shaken up’ following the ordeal, allegedly heard their window smash and their security alarm go off before rushing to a bedroom for safety.
It is reported four suspects entered their sprawling property for around a minute but hurried away when Mark started yelling.
According to The Sun, police were alerted via their ‘state-of-the-art security system and arrived at the couple’s Essex mansion within minutes’.
Mark and Michelle’s joyous baby news is no doubt a welcome distraction for the pair after they were caught up in a terrifying home invasion at their £3.5million mansion in Essex last month
The gang of raiders were reportedly ‘wearing balaclavas and dressed in black fled the scene empty-handed in a getaway car’.
A source told the publication: ‘It was a traumatic experience for both of them but they are relieved that neither of them were injured.
‘Mark did the sensible thing and stayed with his wife to make sure she was OK and they waited for police to arrive before leaving the room.
‘It was a horrible thing to go through, particularly for someone who is heavily pregnant. They are understandably very shaken up by what happened.’
Detectives reportedly believe the gang were professionals ‘looking for a big score’ on the countryside property’s extensive grounds.
A camera allegedly detected the gang arriving to the house and sent alerts to Mark and Michelle’s phone.
The source added: ‘Mark realised someone was breaking into the house, his first thoughts were for Michelle’s protection and he acted swiftly.’
The couple regularly post interior and exterior pictures of their mansion on their separate Instagram pages as well as their home account.
Their home account, Wrightyhome, has 663,000 followers and follows the couple’s huge renovation project from years ago.
The TOWIE star and his actress wife moved into their stunning home just over two years ago, after purchasing the property in 2019 for £1.3million.
Mark has previously spoken about how him and Michelle met, explaining the couple mixed in ‘similar circles’ but connected for the first time backstage at the X Factor
Michelle’s pregnancy comes a year after she starred in Netflix drama Fool Me Once, which became one of the streamer’s most watched shows of all-time.
The Harlan Coben adaptation saw Michelle play military pilot Maya Stern and was an instant global hit, with over 98,200,200 views in the first 91 days.
She started her career on ITV’s Coronation Street where she portrayed Tina for six years before leaving the Cobbles in 2014.
Her first serious role after the soap was in the BBC drama Our Girl, which aired the same year she married husband Mark, who left TOWIE in 2011 after three seasons.
In recent years she has also starred in historic drama Ten Pound Poms, which is filmed in Australia, and Sky TV comedy Brassic.
Mark has previously spoken about how him and Michelle met, explaining the couple mixed in ‘similar circles’ but connected for the first time backstage at the X Factor.
They married at St Mary’s Church in Bury St Edmunds and celebrated their nine-year wedding anniversary last May.
During a 2019 interview, Michelle, who was 32 at the time, spoke of her ‘frustration’ over being constantly asked when she and Mark were planning to start a family, saying: ‘In this day and age, you shouldn’t ask questions like that.’
She said: ‘They don’t know the background of what’s happening. It’s no one else’s business.
‘I get so frustrated. I’m asked purely because I’m a woman. But 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’s pregnancy comes a year after she starred in Netflix drama Fool Me Once, which became one of the streamer’s most watched shows of all-time
Former Extra TV host Mark was famed for his appearance on reality show TOWIE, starring alongside best friend James Argent and sister Jess Wright in the long running series
Former Extra TV host Mark was famed for his appearance on reality show TOWIE, starring alongside best friend James Argent and sister Jess Wright in the long running series.
Before setting down, he dated co-stars Lucy Mecklenburgh and Sam Faiers but it was his romance with ex-fiancée Lauren Goodger that became an integral part of the show’s storyline.
Since TOWIE, Mark furthered his career by presenting Extra TV in Los Angeles, during which time he and Michelle had to endure a long-distance relationship.
He has also been a contestant on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and Strictly Come Dancing and in 2023 hosted The Challenge: UK.
In July, he joined forces with Made In Chelsea’s Spencer Matthews to launch their joint ambassador deal with Marks & Spencer, given their apt names.
