“I’m having triplets with my daughter’s ex-boyfriend” UK’s first gay dad:
After 32 years together, Tony and Barrie Drewitt-Barlow called it quits when Barrie fell for their teen daughter’s ex-boyfriend. Now, he’s having triplets with his new lover
The last time Closer spoke to Barrie DrewittBarlow, 50, he’d just announced his shock split from his husband, Tony, and revealed he was moving on with 25-year-old Scott Hutchinson – his teenage daughter’s ex-boyfriend.
Now, in a further revelation, Barrie and toyboy Scott have revealed they’re having triplet girls via a surrogate.
They’ll be using a controversial sex selection method, which is illegal in Britain, and they’re splashing out £100,000 on a nursery for their girls in the Florida mansion where, surprisingly, they will continue living with Barrie’s ex, Tony.
The triplets will make Barrie a proud dad of eight. He and Tony became Britain’s first same-sex parents when they had twins Aspen and Saffron, now 19. They went on to have Orlando, 16, and twins Jasper and Dallas, now nine.
Not only are the prospective fathers thrilled but, astonishingly, ex-husband Tony is also said to be delighted at the new additions to the family. Barrie says, “I’m overjoyed to share the news that Scott and I are pregnant with triplet girls – we’re using a surrogate and she’s fallen pregnant at the first attempt.
MODERN FAMILY
“Our family has too many boys and too much testosterone, so we used sex selection to even things out – so we know we’re having girls.
“We’re absolutely thrilled. I’ve been broody for a long time and we’re so excited to extend our family.
“Tony is excited, too – although it does underline that our marriage really is over after all these years, so it’s bittersweet.
“But we’re all going to remain living under the same roof. Tony is ‘Dad’, I’m ‘Daddy’ and while at the moment Scott is ‘Stepdad’, soon he’s soon going to be ‘Daddy Two’.
“We’re happy, and we want to co-parent our kids, and that’s all that matters – and if people don’t get it, that’s their problem, not ours.
“We just regard ourselves as a very modern family.”
Tony and Barrie – who made their millions through various business ventures – began dating in 1987 and in 1994 they were turned down for adoption because of their sexuality.
They began their surrogacy journey and shot to international fame when they welcomed twins Aspen and
Saffron, after winning the legal right to both be named as parents on the birth certificate in a landmark ruling for LGBTQ parenting.
AMICABLE SPLIT
They went on to set up their own surrogacy agency, welcoming another son Orlando in 2003, and twins Jasper and Dallas in 2010.
But sadly, Tony and Barrie’s relationship began to suffer due to Tony’s throat cancer diagnosis in 2006. They started sleeping in separate rooms and their relationship became platonic.
In March last year, while Tony was in hospital having treatment for the side-effects of radiotherapy, bisexual Scott, who was Barrie’s PA, became a “shoulder to cry on”, and the two began to develop feelings for each other.
Scott and Saffron had split up months before, after a few dates, and decided to stay friends. Their relationship was never sexual. And as the relationship with Scott developed, Barrie and Tony agreed to split amicably.
SURROGATE AUDITIONS
Loved-up Scott and Barrie began talking about starting their own family and, extraordinarily, auditioned 15 women to find the perfect surrogate for them.
Barrie says, “We met 15 egg donors at the Beverly Wilshire – the hotel from the film Pretty Woman. We decided the hotel would make the perfect setting to find the woman who would add the part of the DNA for our baby girl.”
Last month, they discovered their chosen surrogate was pregnant after their first attempt. Like Tony and Barrie previously, they’ve both donated sperm and have chosen not to discover who fathered which child.
Barrie insists Tony – who is now in remission from cancer – is very supportive.
“Tony’s known from the start that we planned to have a baby together and he was happy for us and encouraged us 100 per cent to go for it.
“But his health has deteriorated to the point that he needed surgery – which I was there for all the way. Telling him the good news of our pregnancy was hard – it felt more final that our relationship was over.
“We’re still there for each other and he will be very much a part of their lives – and will be for the rest of his life.”
SPOILED ROTTEN
Meanwhile, Barrie and Scott have already splashed out tens of thousands on the ultimate nursery for their girls.
So far, they’ve ordered three pink Fendi prams at £1,080 each, £380 Burberry beige check blankets, and Gucci changing bags costing £1,260, not to mention designer clothes and teddy bears.
Barrie says, “These girls are going to have everything.
“They will have the best
I can find – we are going to spoil them rotten.
“Scott and I are in love.
We’re looking forward to the next stage in our lives together. We have no plans to get engaged, although Scott is in the process of changing his name to Scott Drewitt-Barlow so we will all have the same surname.
“All our children are very excited – especially our eldest two, Saffron and Aspen.
“Scott is as excited as I am – particularly as these are his first babies.
“I’m going to enjoy every moment that I can, while I can – as, after all, you only have one life, and it is for living.”
By Sarah Arnold and
Kristina Beanland
OUR FAMILY HAS TOO MANY BOYS – WE USED SEX SELECTION SO WE
KNOW WE’RE HAVING GIRLS