Brian McFadden and his fiancée Danielle Parkinson have announced they’re expecting their first child together, after suffering two devastating miscarriages.
The former Westlife singer, 40, and the PE teacher, 39, shared the joyous news in an interview with OK!, revealing that their bundle of joy is due to arrive in May, following almost two years of IVF treatments.
Danielle told the publication: ‘We’re 15 weeks along now… We’re due on 14 May. But they said normally with your first baby it can be early.’
Baby news! Brian McFadden and his fiancée Danielle Parkinson have announced they’re expecting their first child together, after suffering two devastating miscarriages
She continued: ‘It does [feel like a miracle] but I feel awful saying that, as I’ve had so many messages on Instagram.
‘The IVF community is so lovely and I’ve heard real traumatic stories from people who have been trying for 10 years, people who have had eight-plus miscarriages, so I feel we got lucky on our third attempt.’
During the interview, the couple also revealed that Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall – who themselves suffered a miscarriage – put them in touch with a nutritionist, who they say helped them conceive.
Seeking help: The former Westlife singer, 40, and the PE teacher, 39, have revealed that their bundle of joy is due to arrive in May, following almost two years of IVF treatments.
‘Mike and Zara put us in touch with Simone the nutritionist who got us prepared for this time,’ said Brian. ‘After we had the miscarriage, we sat with them and talked. This woman would put us on a certain diet, and Mike guaranteed it would work. He was completely rig.’
The couple previously revealed they suffered a ‘devastating’ miscarriage in late 2019 after a year-long IVF journey.
They opened up about their fertility struggles in OK! magazine, explaining they tried to conceived naturally for two years, before turning to doctors for help.
Danielle, who suffers from low egg count, told how she was thrilled to fall pregnant during the couple’s first round of IVF, but was left heartbroken when she lost the baby at five weeks.
Helping hand: The couple have credited Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall – who themselves suffered a miscarriage – with connecting with a nutritionist to help them conceive
Danielle said: ‘It was awful. She [the gynaecologist] showed us that my womb was empty. I was in tears – I felt numb. Brian was upset too, but he was really strong for me.’
Brian added: ‘We were devastated. I didn’t believe the baby was gone… it was the worst sinking feeling ever.’
The musician is a father to two daughters, Molly, 18, and Lilly, 16, with ex-wife Kerry Katona, 39.
Danielle explained that she has quite low AMH [Anti-Müllerian hormone], meaning that she produces eggs but there are only a few of them.
Although the couple managed to get pregnant on their first round of IVF, five weeks in Danielle said she had some bleeding and her pregnancy symptoms vanished.
Struggles: Danielle, who suffers from low egg count, previously told how she was thrilled to fall pregnant during the couple’s first round of IVF, but was left heartbroken when she lost the baby at five weeks (pictured with Brian’s daughter Lily)
Danielle, who was alone at the time as Brian was working in Dubai, visited the hospital where they confirmed she had lost the baby with a blood test.
The fitness guru had to tell her fiancé over the phone they had lost their unborn baby, before flying out there to emotionally support each other.
Brian admitted that he struggled to accept the tragic news at first and booked Danielle an appointment with a top gynaecologist in the country, where they were told she had definitely lost the baby with a scan.
The couple revealed that they try to be strong for each other after being completely shocked by the loss of the pregnancy.
Due date: Danielle said in announcing her baby news, ‘We’re 15 weeks along now… We’re due on 14 May. But they said normally with your first baby it can be early’
Brian said: ‘We were making plans and picking baby names. I even avoided taking gigs abroad around the due date. As far as we were concerned, we were out of danger.’
Danielle explained that ‘anything’ can trigger the feelings she first felt when she heard the news, however the couple insist they haven’t lost hope for having a child.
Their second egg implantation didn’t take but they still have the option of another two rounds of IVF, which Brian admitted he feels confident about.
Danielle said they will ‘know’ when they have tried for long enough, and have also considered a surrogate and adoption as other options for the future.
Tragic: Although the couple managed to get pregnant on their first round of IVF, five weeks in Danielle said she had some bleeding and her pregnancy symptoms vanished
The couple first spoke about their fertility woes during an interview with Ok! magazine earlier this year.
Speaking to OK! magazine, Brian confessed that although they had been ‘having fun trying’, they were considering other options.
Danielle added: ‘Absolutely [we would consider IVF]. We’ve even talked about adoption, we just really want kids.’
However it has since come to light that they were already going through the process of IVF at the time.
Doting dad: The musician is a father to two daughters, Molly, 18, and Lilly, 16, with ex-wife Kerry Katona, 39
Brian popped the question to his other half over Christmas last year, however he admitted their priority is currently having a child and the wedding can wait.
As well as concentrating on having a baby, Brian previously revealed they were putting the wedding ‘on hold’ amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The singer said all of their plans had gone out the window while they wait to see what happens with social distancing guidelines.
Speaking in Heat magazine, Brian said: ‘We’ve put our plans on hold for the moment. We’re just going to wait and see what happens over the next few months.’
Holding off: The singer revealed that all of their plans have gone out the window while they wait to see what happens with social distancing guidelines
Brian previously revealed that he wouldn’t be asking his children to be bridesmaids due to the fact they’re ‘probably sick’ of walking down the aisle with their mum Kerry – who has been married three times.
Speaking in January, he quipped: ‘They’ve been bridesmaids for their mother [Kerry Katona] about five times already so they’re probably sick of it.
‘There’s only so many times you can be a bridesmaid. They must be thinking, ‘Not another f*****g wedding!’
Brian and Kerry were married from 2002 to 2006, with the Irish singer then marrying Vogue Williams in 2012 for four years.
He was also engaged to Australian singer Delta Goodrem, but they ended things in April 2011.
Meanwhile, Kerry went on to marry Mark Croft for four years in 2011, before tying the knot with George Kay in 2014 and splitting three years later.
Brian and one-time Olympic hopeful Danielle went public with their relationship in late 2016 after being introduced through a mutual friend.
Cute couple: Brian and one-time Olympic hopeful Danielle went public with their relationship in late 2016 after being introduced through a mutual friend