EXCLUSIVE: Hollyoaks actress Nikki Sanderson and her partner, Emmerdale star, have welcomed their first child together, a baby boy, after a two-year struggle to get pregnant
Former Hollyoaks and Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson has given birth to her first child, a baby boy, with her beau, former Emmerdale star Anthony Quinlan.
The pair shared their joyful news in a sweet Instagram post alongside a black and white shot of their little man.
The caption read, “Happy due day little man. You blessed our lives a few days earlier than expected and filled our world with so much joy. Daddy and mummy love you so much Son.”
They have not yet revealed the name of their longed-for child.
The pair spoke exclusively to the Mirror in January about expecting their first little one together. – after a two-year struggle to get pregnant.
At the time, Nikki said getting the positive pregnancy test result they’d both been dreaming of saw them hit by a whirlwind of mixed emotions.
While Nikki, 41, was “on cloud nine”, she said. “I felt absolutely elated that we got this confirmation and that the baby was fine – the first time seeing the heartbeat on the scans was the most amazing, incredible feeling,” she says.
“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs in our journey to becoming parents and it’s been really hard on us,” she admitted. “But now, waiting for our beautiful baby to arrive, it’s just incredible. Every person trying to conceive has their own journey and, sadly, some are easier than others. But being where we are now makes all the ups and downs worth it.”
Anthony adds, “We were kind of resigned to the fact that we may need assistance via IVF. We wanted this so much and we were just hoping, hoping, hoping.”
While such struggles can strain even the strongest relationships, Nikki and Anthony have remained a tight, loving unit throughout.
“We’ve been blessed that we are a team,” says Nikki, who also played Candice Stowe in Coronation Street. “We knew this process wasn’t going to be easy and I can totally understand why it can take a huge toll on people.
“It’s not just the physical element, it’s the mental and emotional sides to it as well. But we really had each other’s backs through the highs and lows.”
In the early days of their romance, Nikki – then in her late thirties – says she was acutely aware her biological clock was ticking. She wanted to protect her chances of having children in the future, which meant a potentially awkward conversation with her new partner.
“I just thought that freezing my eggs was something I should think about,” she says. “Anthony and I had only been together for a few months and it’s such a big conversation to have, so I was a little anxious. But he just went, ‘Nikki, I think that’s a really good idea.’”
Although the mum-to-be hopes to breastfeed her baby, she appreciates it’s not always that simple. “I would love to be able to breastfeed, but ultimately, if for some reason that isn’t a reality for me, then I’m not going to get stressed over it,” she says. “Some babies don’t latch on, some don’t want to be breastfed, some are better being bottle fed. If my milk doesn’t come through properly or something, I’ll move straight to what’s best for the baby.”
Anthony, who sweetly says he “can’t wait till we’re a little team of three”, has been enjoying Nikki’s pregnancy. “At first it kind of felt a bit surreal,” says the actor, who also runs an online PT and supplements business. “But it really hit home when I saw her with a bump and I could feel the baby kick. That is the most magical feeling. All of a sudden it became extremely real and even more exciting.”
The wait is finally over!
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