Ping popped out ... then came Pong!
Proud dad Chris Evans shows off his twins (but don’t worry, that’s not their real names)
By Susie Coen TV and Radio Reporter
HE HAD referred to them as Ping and Pong while they were in the womb.
And Chris Evans was still playing the game with his twins’ names yesterday, hours after they were born.
He joked he may keep calling them Ping and Pong – or at least use them as middle names.
The radio DJ’s wife Natasha Shishmanian, 38, gave birth to the girl and boy on Wednesday evening – and they have actually been named Boo and Walt, according to The Sun. Daughter Boo was born at 5lb 3oz and son Walt weighed 5lb 7oz, the newspaper reported.
Miss Shishmanian and Evans, 52, were pictured beaming as they left Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey with the twins and their two elder sons. Miss Shishmanian cradled Boo and Walt while Evans, in a beanie hat and sunglasses, grinned next to her. Flanked by Eli, six, and Noah, nine, the couple, who married in 2007, shared a kiss.
Evans is already a grandfather. His daughter Jade, 32, by ex-fiancee cee Alison Ward Ward, has three three-yearold year son Teddy with husband Callum Hewitt. The presenter confirmed the twins’ arrival on his Radio 2 breakfast show, which was guest-hosted by Sara Cox. ‘Ping and Pong arrived safe and well last night,’ a statement said.
‘Ping popped her head out at 22.10, Pong popped his head out 12 minutes later at 22 minutes past ten. Both healthy, both strong, happy and blessed, as was mum throughout. throug Infinite thanks to the amazing team at Frimley Park Hospital, amazing people, amazing professionals, helping dreams come true. Thank you.’
Evans and his wife have been open about their struggles to conceive. They had Eli through IVF after Miss Shishmanian suffered an ectopic pregnancy in 2010.
Evans revealed last year that Miss Shishmanian, a former professional golfer, was having further fertility more common treatment. with IVF Twins as doctors are frequently implant more than one embryo. Last week, Evans described the names Ping and Pong as a ‘working title’ for his babies. He told singer Janet Jackson, a guest on his breakfast show: ‘We call them Ping and Pong because they are the unborns. We have a working title!’ But he added: ‘It’s so cute I want to keep them as the names Ping and Pong.’ When Miss Jackson asked whether he really meant keeping them as nicknames, Evans replied: ‘Or middle names.’ Evans, who is worth an estimated £55million, is expected to return to his Radio 2 breakfast show today – which he has presented since succeeding Sir Terry Wogan in 2010. Two weeks ago he announced that he would be leaving the show in December to return to Virgin Radio.