Former MP Lembit has revealed he’s going to be a father
FORMER Welsh MP Lembit Opik has announced he is going to be a father.
The 52-year-old Lib Dem, who represented Montgomeryshire from 1997 until he lost his seat in the 2010 General Election, and his partner Sabina Vankova are expecting a baby girl.
In an exclusive interview with the Mirror newspaper he said they had kept the baby news secret until now out of respect for his former fiancees – weather presenter Sian Lloyd and Cheeky Girls singer Gabriella Irimia, because they both miscarried while pregnant by him.
He told the newspaper: “I’ve twice been in situations where I tried to have children, which both ended in miscarriage. I didn’t want to talk about this pregnancy until I was sure things would be OK. I remain wary, because until a child is born you’re still dealing with a pregnancy.”
He added: “I get emotional about it all the time. The arrival of our baby is compellingly exciting.
“I can hardly put it into words. I feel the same way as I do about hearing a marvellous piece of music. It’s an emotive, uplifting, hope-making feeling. I’ve wanted to have kids for a long time.”
He also told about how he thought he wouldn’t be able to have children after a serious accident in 1971 when he fell 10ft out of a tree and impaled himself on a stick.
The couple met in July two years ago at a party to celebrate Tim Farron’s election as Lib Dem leader.
Sabina, a property lawyer from Bulgaria, says: “I was there as a supporter of the Lib Dems who voted for Tim.”
Lembit says: “There was a very natural chemistry.”
But Sabina didn’t know who he was until the next day when she Googled him.
Six weeks later they moved into together.