'Michelle Keegan's pregnancy news serves as an important reminder'
News of Michelle Keegan's pregnancy has, understandably, broken a corner of the internet: her and Mark Wright's joint post announcing their very exciting news has amassed more than one million likes and over 18,000 comments in response.
Keeping the news-sharing fairly simple, the couple opted for the caption, "2025 is going to be a special one for us… 👶🏻🤍✨" along with a beachside photoshoot with Michelle's bump on show and her and Mark in matching white outfits.
Now, given this is the first child of a notable celebrity pairing (who first confirmed they were together in 2013), this large-scale reaction to the news is to be expected – but in the case of Mark and Michelle, their baby joy serves as a much-needed and very important reminder. Namely, that we have got to stop asking women when they're planning on getting pregnant.
Speculation around whether or not Michelle and Mark have been planning to start a family has been rife for years, when quite frankly it's nobody else's business besides their own – and it's a gendered issue too.
It’s something that Michelle herself has openly said she finds difficult too, previously telling Women's Health back in 2020 that she's consistently subjected to questioning around her fertility – a topic that can be extremely personal and potentially challenging – whereas her also-very-famous husband is not.
"I do think it's different for a woman. It shouldn't be, but it is," the 37-year-old actor reflected, when asked about how she and Mark, also 37, are treated differently. "I get asked about children whereas Mark wouldn’t, for example. Why haven’t I had a child? When am I going to have a child? I don’t know what they want me to say. I don’t know what the right or wrong answer is."
Michelle facing demanding questions about her plans to have children is not something she has to face just because she’s in the public eye. Most women will have found themselves, at some point in their lives, being quizzed by a nosy relative or friend as to whether they want kids or not.
Neither Mark, or Michelle, who have been married for nine years, have spoken about their journey to become parents - and they shouldn’t have to. Getting married shouldn’t instantly mean having children, for a myriad of reasons, and every couple has the right to go at their own pace. We also never know what’s going on behind-the-scenes and when we ask unnecessary questions we could also be prying into something painful, with many couples wanting to keep fertility issues private.
Thankfully, it seems, from the comments, this message is starting to permeate. One wrote below the pregnancy announcement, "You've both always had so many comments and pressure from the public to have kids sooner, but you stayed true to yourselves and accomplished so much together and now it's time to enjoy your new chapter,” the fan said. “Normalise following your own path and not adhering to the societal norms/ pressures of when or if to have children! 🙌🏽." Over 1,400 people liked it in agreement.
And another added, "Wishing you so much joy and happiness as you embark on this journey. Also, it’s a good reminder to everyone that questions or comments about someone’s personal timeline for having children—or their fertility—can be deeply invasive. Everyone's journey is unique, and it’s important to approach these topics with kindness and respect.”
Here’s hoping that those who haven’t yet got the message that starting a family needn’t happen in a rush will see her and Mark’s news as a strong reminder that family planning shouldn’t be anchored to any old school expectations or timelines.
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