Words by Anita Pouroulis
Last year was a big year for the baby boomers of Hollywood, as oodles of celebs welcomed precious bambinos into the world. From the likes of music moguls to former child prodigies, it seemed that stars galore became mamas and papas last year!
So who are among the proud celeb parents?
Early in the year, Simon Cowell and his girlfriend Lauren Silverman (who was the wife of Cowell’s friend Andrew Silverman when she fell pregnant…oops!) welcomed their son Eric into the world. It was son number two for Silverman, and baby number one for the 54-year-old music mogul, who certainly took his time reaching ‘daddyhood’ status. Soon after the baby Cowell’s arrival on Valentine’s Day, the proud dad posted photos of his son Eric on Twitter. Amid murmurings and wonderings about such a conservative first name for a tot in this day and age, Cowell was quick to report that Eric is a name of huge significance: it was the name of his father, who died in 1999 from a heart attack. Cowell affirms that the unexpected arrival of the tot was the perfect wake-up call for him. “You can start to live a slightly abnormal life and there is no question of doubt I was heading down that path,” he says. “Too many late-night phone calls. Too obsessed with things.”
But the proud pop, who says that he was “born to be a dad”, has admitted that he has not embraced each and every aspect of being a dad. When it comes to nappies, he would rather not get involved…
Two days after the Cowell baby made his way into the world, John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, who got hitched in romantic Italy four years ago, became first-time parents with the birth of their daughter, Hazel. Blunt, 31, kept pretty mum throughout her pregnancy, not saying much to the media, but since the birth of baby Hazel, she has enthusiastically gushed about being a mum. “It’s really the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me. I feel good,” she raved. The couple revealed that they both have a passion for “old lady names”, hence the entrée of one ‘Hazel Kransinski’ to the world. Blunt, who is known for her erm… bluntness… gave a hilarious interview on The Ellen De Generes Show, commenting on her “enormous” and “veiny” breasts that, she explains, seemed to think they were feeding 12 babies. But it appears that engorged mammaries were but a mere moment for Blunt, who soon after set off with co-star Tom Cruise on a world promotion tour for their movie ‘The Edge of Tomorrow’. And with a trim, svelte figure to boot. Blunt gave all the credit to her breasts.“I don’t know if other mothers had this, but I have found breastfeeding to be the thing,” she confessed.
Madrid model and actress Elsa Pataky and her actor husband Chris Hemsworth are doing it double this time round! Already parents to two-year-old India Rose, they welcomed twin boys, Tristan and Sasha, into the world in March. The twins were given names from both sides of their parental backgrounds, with Tristan being a noted ‘nombre’ in Spain and Sasha a favourite in Australia, where Chris was born.
Despite having a huge twin belly during her pregnancy, the 38-year-old Spanish beauty appeared in a short advertising video for the Spanish brand, ‘Women’s Secret’, eight months after giving birth – wearing skimpy black underwear – with absolutely no trace of belly fat and not even a smidgen of a stretch mark!
“A specialised postpartum physiotherapist recommended not to work my abs until they were totally joined again. As you know, when you’re pregnant the abdominals separate as the belly grows. So you have to wait for your abs to return to its initial position before you start doing ab work or otherwise there may be a lump, like a belly that never goes away,” Pataky was quoted as saying. Phew.
“It feels like a miracle!” Drew Barrymore gushed on The Ellen De Generes Show three weeks after giving birth to her second daughter. Barrymore and her husband Will Kopelman are the proud parents of two daughters, Olive and now, Frankie. Olive is only 19 months older than her sister, and Barrymore admits that raising two babies together is “a bit of a juggling act,” but she wanted Olive “to have a sibling, because I really would have liked that in my life. And always being on time, being there when I say I’m going to be there. Creating a real stable home.” The actress, who was a child star from the age of seven, when she starred in her breakout role as Gertie in Steven Spielberg‘s ‘E.T.’, had a haphazard upbringing, with her parents divorcing shortly after her birth and her father leaving her with an “unstable mother”. By the time she hit puberty, she was an old hat at smoking and drinking, and had graduated to cocaine by thirteen and attempted suicide by fourteen. With this all behind her, Barrymore is determined to give her daughters the type of stable upbringing she never had.
The winner of the first season of ‘American Idol’, Kelly Clarkson became a first-time mama to a little girl, River Rose in June last year. The Texas-born singer first became an instant mother of two when she married talent manager Brandon Blackstock in October 2013. Blackstock is dad to Savannah and son Seth, 7, from a previous relationship. Now baby River Rose makes number three and the ecstatic couple has told of their plans to expand their family even more.
Kelly, an ardent fan of Twitter and Instagram, has posted pics galore of herself and hubby with their new babe. And that’s not the only publicity that little River Rose is getting – she was also part of the set for the filming of Kelly’s new music video ‘Wrapped in Red’. The singer Instagrammed a cute picture of her daughter at the shoot, captioning it #BabysFirstVideo.
Shortly after the arrival of their daughter Rose Dorothy in September, Scarlett Johansson and French journalist Romain Dauriac said, “I do” in a secret ceremony on a ranch in Montana, far away from the hub of Hollywood, Scarlett’s stomping ground of New York and Romain’s native Paris.
Johansson, a notorious stickler for privacy, and an avid supporter of the ‘No Kids Policy’, the star-studded effort to keep celebrity children out of the public eye, hasn’t allowed any public photos of the tot. She has, however, spoke out about the joys of motherhood, disclosing that she’s doing it all, from the diapers to breast-feeding.
“The whole bit,” she said. “I’m nursing, and I love it, I love it. It’s the best way to get back in shape.”
The half-Scandinavian actress, who was named “Sexiest Woman Alive” by Esquire magazine in both 2006 and 2013 added that, “It’s exhausting in the most wonderful way. I never thought how much sleeping through the night would mean to me. I still lack experience. Right now I’m just trying to manage. You have to first, how should I put it, learn the ropes.”
The couple has let it slip that they’re not too keen on living in the US or in Paris and are looking for quieter quarters in which to raise their daughter. Switzerland is rumoured to be a serious contender at the moment.
The hot duo Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes also welcomed their gorgeous bundle of joy, Esmeralda Amada, into the world in September. Eva, who gave birth at the age of 40, was quoted as saying, “I thought my wild nights were over but these are some of the wildest nights I’ve ever had.”
The couple said that the exotic name Esmeralda Amada was inspired by the character Esmeralda in the Victor Hugo novel ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’, while Amada, which means ‘beloved’ in Spanish, is Eva’s grandmother’s name.
Apparently the star couple has so far opted to go without the help of a nanny, relying instead on family members to give a helping hand or two. Eva was quite adamant that, for her, part of being a mother is going through the struggle of not being able to sleep and “battling out those nights” with her baby. She has compared herself to her own mother, who at the age of 24, had three children.
“She was in Cuba and totally alone. So when it’s the wee hours of the night and I’m feeling a bit insane, I think about her and realise that I have no right to complain about anything,” the down-to-earth actress declared.
October saw Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher welcoming their baby girl into the world.
“Mila and I would like to welcome Wyatt Isabelle Kutcher to the world. May your life be filled with wonder, love, laughter, health, happiness, curiosity, and privacy,” Kutcher wrote on his Facebook page. “Now can the helicopter please stop hovering over our house, there is a baby asleep inside! And she’s super cute.”
After the arrival of little Wyatt, the couple followed the apparent latest Hollywood trend of… ‘Not Using Nannies’… well, at least not initially. The obvious idea behind this is to ‘bond with the baby’. The couple confirmed that creating a deep connection with their daughter was their motivation.
“I was able to take time off work, which was nice,” said mama Kunis, “I think it’s a luxury to be able to do that. I am able to be a stay-at-home mum with my kid, and I do find that nowadays people can’t do that,” she said. “Everyone has to have a job and you have to have a two-person household. So, I was able to take time off and actually raise my child, which I consider a blessing.”
Droll dad Kutcher quipped, “Staying home the first couple of weeks, I’ve learned the little things that will calm down the baby. So I feel like I’m the baby whisperer now… I like to give the baby to my friends and let (her) cry for a second,” Kutcher joked during an interview, “Then be like, ‘Let me just take care of that.'”
On the unusual choice of name for their tot, Kutcher explained that the idea came to him at a Lakers game. “I got name Tourette’s and I just started listing off anything and everything that I saw: ‘Sign! Truck! Wall! Door!’ (Mila was) like, ‘Shut up!’ Then I was like, ‘I’ve got a really dumb idea. What about Wyatt?’ She goes, ‘That’s it.'”
There was a tad more tradition involved in the choosing of her middle name. “We gave her the name Isabelle after Mila’s grandfather, who was Yitzhak. And so it has a little heritage,” Kutcher clarified.
And the tech-savvy parents are already thinking about Wyatt’s online future as they rushed to reserve all possible domain names for Wyatt Isabelle. “I don’t want a porn site with my daughter’s name!” joked Kutcher.
And the celebrity baby boom continues! There are scads of celebs expecting little ones this year. Those spotted sporting baby bumps include:
Isla Fisher: It’s baby number three for Isla Fisher and her husband of four years, Sasha Baron Cohen. The couple already have two young daughters – Olive, who is six, and four-year-old Elula Lottie Miriam. Baby number three will be joining the clan around May this year.
Shakira: The singer confirmed that she is pregnant for the second time by tweeting to her fans, “Yes, we are expecting our second baby!! Thank you all for your well wishes!” The Colombian performer and her Spanish footballer partner Gerard Pique are already parents to two-year-old son Milan.
Liv Tyler: The ‘Lord of the Rings’ star is apparently “delighted” that she’s expecting baby number two, although she and the daddy-to-be haven’t been together for long. Tyler and sports agent Dave Gardner had publicly confirmed their relationship only a few months before announcing the pregnancy. Liv is already mama to nine-year-old Milo with her ex-husband, British musician Royston Langdon.
Milla Jovovich: The Ukrainian supermodel and her third husband, ‘Resident Evil’ producer Paul Anderson, are expecting their second child. So instead of flying to Cape Town, South Africa to begin working on ‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’, the star will be taking it easy. Jovovich has tweeted that filming will resume once the baby has been born, as then she’ll be able to do all the stunts that the filming requires. The couple met while working on the 2002 film ‘Resident Evil’, which Milla starred in and Paul directed. The couple welcomed their first child, baby girl Ever Gabo, in 2007.
Jessica Biel: Is she or isn’t she? Biel has been spotted on many an occasion wearing uncharacteristically baggy clothing. From all-black ensembles to long, wide coats, the outfits have all succeeded in keeping that mid-section hidden. Well, to a point, as rumours about a baby bump are still abounding! Biel and husband Justin Timberlake, who celebrated their second year of marriage in October, haven’t confirmed or denied pregnancy rumours. If there is indeed a baby on the way, it will be a first for both.
Blake Lively: The ‘Gossip Girl’ actress announced her pregnancy in October on her website ‘Preserve’, by posting a photo of herself cradling her big belly. The website aims to preserve a holistic approach to living and sells a multitude of ‘holistic’ items such as clothes and home decorations. The actress-cum-entrepreneur is married to Ryan Reynolds, who was first married to Scarlett Johansson, before the couple split in 2011. This is baby number one for the couple, who met on the 2011 set of ‘The Green Lantern’ and tied the knot soon after Reynolds’ divorce.
Let us not forget England’s beloved duchess. A few months after celebrating Prince George’s first birthday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced that another royal tot was on the way. Poor Kate was struck by intense pregnancy sickness again, but with the first trimester behind her, she’s returned to public life stylishly displaying the royal baby bump. The next royal baby is expected in April or May.
BOXOUT:
SOME OF THE TINSELTOWN TOTS BORN IN 2014:
Tinseltown Tot: Eric Philip Cowell
Mummy: Lauren Silverman
Daddy: Simon Cowell
Date Of Birth: 14 February 2014
Tinseltown Tot: Hazel Krasinski
Mummy: Emily Blunt
Daddy: John Krasinski
Date Of Birth: 16 February 2014
Tinseltown Twins: Tristan and Sasha Hemsworth
Mummy: Elsa Pataky
Daddy: Chris Hemsworth
Date Of Birth: 18 March 2014
Tinseltown Tot: Frankie Barrymore Kopelman
Mummy: Drew Barrymore
Daddy: Will Kopelman
Date Of Birth: 22 April 2014
Tinseltown Tot: River Rose Blackstock
Mummy: Kelly Clarkson
Daddy: Brandon Blackstock
Date Of Birth: 12 June 2014
Tinseltown Tot: Summer Rain Rutler
Mummy: Christina Aguilera
Daddy: Matt Rutler
Date Of Birth: 16 August 2014
Tinseltown Tot: Rose Dorothy Dauriac
Mummy: Scarlett Johansson
Daddy: Romain Dauriac
Date Of Birth: 4 September 2014
Tinseltown Tot: Esmeralda Amada Gosling
Mummy: Eva Mendes
Daddy: Ryan Gosling
Date Of Birth: 12 September 2014
Tinseltown Tot: Wyatt Isabelle Kutcher
Mummy: Mila Kunis
Daddy: Ashton Kutcher
Date Of Birth: 2014
