Rachel Stevens' ex husband Alex Bourne is expecting his first child with new art dealer wife Lily - three years after split from S Club 7 singer
The property mogul, 47, tied the knot with art dealer Lily, 31, at Lime Kiln lodges in East Sussex in February surrounded by their family and friends.
And on Sunday, Lily took to Instagram in a shared post with her new hubby to announce their pregnancy.
She shared a carousel of snaps from spring, but two included her growing baby bump.
'A new chapter,' she captioned the snaps - as her baby bump could be seen as she went for a stroll with a bunch of flowers.
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S Club star Rachel, 46, announced she had separated from her childhood sweetheart, Alex, in July 2022, just one month shy of their 13-year anniversary.
Alex and Lily then got engaged last summer on Hampstead Heath after meeting earlier that year.
Rachel and Alex's two daughters, Amelie, 12, and Minnie, nine, were both in attendance at the wedding and were both bridesmaids.
Rachel herself has also found love with Dancing On Ice skater Brendyn Hatfield, going official in November 2023 after first being paired together on the ITV show.
She did not appear to be in attendance at the wedding.
Lily looked stunning in a bespoke lace gown in snaps shared to both of their Instagram accounts from the big day.
They penned in the caption: 'A little more from our big day. Still on cloud ☁️ 9.
'Words can't begin to describe our happiness. Thank you to all of our family and friends for being there on our special day.'
'A new chapter,' she captioned the snaps - as her baby bump could be seen as she went for a stroll with a bunch of flowers
Alex and Lily then got engaged last summer on Hampstead Heath after meeting earlier that year (seen announcing their engagement)
Last June Alex gushed about his girlfriend at the time Lily and confessed that he would like to get married again one day.
He said: 'I'm very grateful for what I have in life. My new partner is a wonderful person and she works in art. She's a beautiful person inside and out.
'I'm a very open-hearted person and I think love is an amazing thing. I've got a wonderful partner and incredible family and a business that I'm proud of.
'Why not get remarried one day? I'm a romantic and a passionate person and I think life is about loving.'
He also opened-up for the first time about his 'terrifying' split from Rachel.
Alex admitted that he struggled during the early stages of their separation, especially navigating co-parenting.
But the former actor insisted that he and Rachel are now on good terms, having moved on with new partners, who their two daughters 'adore'.
Alex, who is Co-founder and Director of London House, explained: 'It was terrifying at the start and it's not easy – and maybe I am making it all happy families - but we've handled it really well. I guess we are a blended family and I'm totally cool with it.
'I'm happily in a relationship and have a supportive partner, who my kids absolutely adore. Both myself and my ex-wife are in happy relationships and we are very supportive of each other.
'My children are such kind, loving people, who I am very proud of, so they made it easy to introduce them. They really, genuinely want us to be happy and we are.'
The prime real estate agent, who co-founded prime real estate agency London House, added that the former couple had worked to 'avoid animosity' with introducing their new partners.
He said: 'We were very grown up about the whole introducing partners thing. Everything has been handled with a lot of sensitivity and respect and that avoids animosity and unhappiness.
'Our children are everything and all we want is for them to be happy.'
Alex's candidness came a week after Rachel lifted the lid on their separation during an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, comparing it to 'jumping off a cliff.'
She admitted: 'It's a lot of navigating, especially with the girls because they've always been at the forefront.
'I'm very lucky, their dad is a great dad and we've always been so aligned with keeping them really safe in it and being really honest.
'We've had great advice on how to age-appropriately speak to them and help them feel safe in it all, because that was my biggest fear - how they are going to be in all of this.'
She continued: 'You're changing your life. It's not only a marriage it's a family around it, it's your friendship groups, your home, your children.
'Changing your whole life, for me it felt like jumping off a cliff, like wow, it's the unknown.
'But I've always believed that we have to be happy, we have to be true to ourselves and it's not something you decide overnight, it's something that takes so much thought and questioning.
'I haven't talked about it a lot publicly because I'm so mindful of everyone involved.'
The former couple were childhood sweethearts and reconnected in the mid-2000s when Rachel was launching her solo career and Alex was still trying to make it as an actor in Los Angeles.
They got engaged in June 2008 after 18 months of dating and tied the knot at Claridge's in London the following year.
The pair walked down the aisle to S Club 7 's hit Never Had A Dream Come True and her bandmates - Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jo O'Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole and Tina Barrett - were there to watch them say 'I do'.
Discussing her new relationship with Brendyn, Rachel went on: 'We've just been really mindful and thoughtful of everyone involved and it was a very slow process, but when you go through growth in your life, you change and your outlook on life changes.
'You realise this is what I need, this is what I want, this is what I deserve. And everything is new and it all just kind of happens.'
She added: 'It all just evolves and it's not black and white, it's just an amazing growth experience.'
Last year Rachel revealed how falling for Brendyn led to her 'messy' split from Alex, with their marriage already on the rocks.
Speaking to The Sun she admitted: '[The split] was messy. I knew that we were growing, that I was growing apart, but I was in turmoil, because first of all my kids'.
Rachel went on to recall how she felt telling now ex-husband Alex about Brendyn admitting: 'It was really scary, because I knew as soon as I said that, that was it.'
It was in July 2022 that Rachel announced on Instagram that she had split from her husband of 12 years.
Insisting they would be keeping things amicable, she wrote: 'I just wanted to share with you all that after time and consideration, the difficult decision has been made for Alex and I to separate.
'While we are no longer partners in marriage, we will remain partners in parenthood to our beautiful girls and continue with love and respect for each other.
'I feel so incredibly grateful for the life we built together and will now continue to be focused on moving forward united as a family.'
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One of the stars involved in the drugs probe was also suspected of drinking while working on the show after crew smelt alcohol on their breath. The Sun alleged that it was widely known that the pair, who have not been named, took the Class A substance, and that one of these Strictly performers was known for being a drinker. The publication have now reported that junior members of the team were asked to keep an eye on them during last year's show and to look for signs that they may have been boozing during work hours. Over the weekend, a staffer also claimed they were offered cocaine by one of the show's stars. He told The Sun: 'The main partying is on site at Elstree after filming of the live show has finished. Boozing and drug taking goes on until 3am, sometimes 4am. The smoking area outside is a hive of activity. Cocaine gets taken there'. He went on to claim that drug use was so common on the show, that when he found a suspicious bag of white powder, an unfazed senior producer told him to 'leave it on my desk' as the incident failed to raise even an eyebrow. The staff member also said the show's annual special filmed at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom was an especially 'big party night' full of debauchery. 'I was offered cocaine by a star at an after show party. Lots of people would go back to the hotel. It was a closed-off party, just for the cast and crew. It went on until 5am, even to 6am, it was insane. People were wired and you could see it in their eyes'. A BBC spokesperson told Daily Mail: 'We have clear protocols and policies in place for dealing with any serious complaint raised with us. We would always encourage people to speak to us if they have concerns. It would not be appropriate for us to comment further.' The shock allegations come amid a long period of controversy for the BBC and Strictly over the past year or so. In July last year, more than six months after quitting the show citing 'personal reasons', actress Amanda Abbington accused pro dancer Giovanni Pernice of 'unnecessary, cruel and mean behaviour' during their time dancing together on Strictly. Strictly has been hit by a string of scandals in the lead-up to its return, including revelations that the broadcaster had hired a law firm to probe allegations of drug taking by two individuals Giovanni rejected the claims immediately, and a BBC investigation ruled in September that her claims of physical aggression and threatening behaviour were not upheld. When BBC bosses published their report into Giovanni's behaviour, it cleared him of the most serious allegations of physical aggression, but upheld verbal bullying and harassment. Complaints of verbal bullying and harassment meant the BBC issued an apology to Amanda, but Giovanni said he was 'pleased the report has not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour '. Elsewhere, the show was plunged into crisis after Welsh opera singer Wynne Evans made a controversial joke during his time preparing for the Strictly tour in January. He used a vile sexual innuendo and was also caught up in a 'wandering hand' incident with dance partner Katya Jones , who seemed to remove his arm from her lower waist on the show. After the BBC launched an investigation into his conduct, bosses decided not to renew his radio contract for his show. The TV star confirmed in May that they will not be renewing his one-year rolling contract following a four-month investigation after the inappropriate comments made during his time on Strictly. Elsewhere, in further scandals for the BBC, Gregg Wallace was recently dismissed from MasterChef after more than 40 complaints against him were upheld following a BBC investigation. While his co-star John Torode was also sacked after two decades over allegations that he used the N-word, which he claims to have 'absolutely no recollection' of. In separate further controversy, it's recently been reported that Naga Munchetty could face an investigation from BBC bosses after she was accused of bullying a junior colleague. The BBC Breakfast host, 50, has been placed 'under review' while bosses consider escalating complaints to a formal investigation, The Sun reports. A source said higher-ups had heard from several colleagues and logged concerns over her 'hard' and 'bullying' behaviour on the breakfast show, as well as her Radio 5 Live show.
