Peaky Blinders actress Charlene McKenna gives birth to first baby with famous husband
Actress Charlene McKenna, 40, has welcomed her first child with her actor and Ripper Street co-star husband Adam Rothenburg.
The Irish actress announced the safe arrival of her daughter, called Martha Josephine, this week by hinting she had been busy with a ‘new production’. And actually, Charlene’s daughter was born months ago.
Charlene, known for her role as Laura McKee in series five and six of Peaky Blinders, kept her happy news under wraps until a recent interview. Charlene’s pregnancy wasn’t hinted at on her social media page, and her bump wasn’t visible in a post from Christmas last year.
The happy news was announced by Charlene herself on RTE Radio 1 where the actress opened up about enjoying time out with her ‘little girl’. She welcomed her with her actor husband Adam, who played Ripper Street's Captain Homer Jackson, while Charlene played sex worker-turned-singer Rose Erskine (later Drake).
Charlene told host Kay Sheehy: “I had a little baby, so I've been kind of out of the loop for a long time now. I've just been in nesting mode and enjoying my little girl. She's just, she's very special."
The actress mostly keeps her family life private, but she revealed that the 3-month-old is "already" giving her chat.
Charlene has also recently opened up about her fear of acting work eventually drying up. She said: “As an actor, I’m always going, ‘It’ll quit soon,’ but we’re still going. I still live with the existential terror and dread it will go away.”
Charlene added that she felt nervous ‘taking time off’ and insisted no one retires in the acting business ‘the industry retires you’.
Charlene married husband Adam during Covid, but they went on to have a second ceremony in June 2022. Both were held at the grand Castle Leslie in Charlene’s hometown of Glaslough.
Charlene posted snaps of their second special day on social media. She wrote :”01 06 22 Mr & Mrs Rothenbergy: part deux. Years in the making, we finally got to celebrate with family and friends!!!”
She went on to shout out some of the people who helped with the wedding before naming her bridesmaids and thanking all the family and friends who flew out to celebrate with them.
Charlene isn’t the only Peaky Blinders star to have welcomed a baby recently. Sophie Rundle, who played Ada Thorne, has had a baby boy with her husband Matt Stokoe.
Announcing the arrival of their third child, Sophie posted a sweet snap of her baby sleeping on her chest with the caption: "He’s here. I am fully ready and expecting to nosedive off the hormonal cliff edge at any moment but for now I am riding this heavenly wave of perfect love.
“I only want to stay in this bed, tending to my exhausted happy bones, sniffing his delicious head and grandly announcing that he is wearing an archival look from the 2021 collection everytime I put him in one of his brother’s old baby grows.”
