MICHELLE & JESS’ BABY RACE
Now that Jess is engaged, the competition is well and truly on
‘It’s no secret Jess is desperate to be a mum’
They’re Essex’s answer to the Kardashians – the extended family that just love spending all their time together and sharing the evidence on Instagram. But, if you were to ask matriarch Carol Wright if there was one area where the family is lacking, she’d probably say the output of grandkids. And, as heat has previously told you, daughter-in-law Michelle Keegan has been feeling the brunt of the pressure to rectify that.
Earlier this year, the actress quit her role in Our Girl to spend more quality time with husband Mark, amid rumours that they were getting serious about their baby making plans. But last week, Michelle’s sisterin-law Jessica Wright inadvertently upped the pressure, after announcing her engagement to boyfriend William Lee-kemp. According to insiders, Jess’ happy news shone the spotlight even brighter on Mark, 33, and Michelle, 32, who got married in May 2015, and are currently planning to build the family home of their dreams in Essex. Apparently, Michelle’s feeling the eyes of the in-laws upon her – and the fact that Jess could end up having a baby before her has only upped the ante.
“There’s a bit of a baby race going on between Michelle and Jess right now,” says an insider close to the Wright family. “All their friends and family have been chatting about how in love Jess and William are, and how it’s only a matter of time before they get married and have kids. All the talk and excitement has inevitably turned the heat up for Mark and Michelle, as everyone’s wondering when they’ll start their family. Michelle’s worried that, if Jess beats her to it, there’s only going to be more whispering about her and Mark.”
Michelle has always been close to Jess, 34, who revealed she’d said “a million times YES!” to her boyfriend of one year last week, after he proposed during a romantic skiing trip. According to our source, the sister-in-laws have reassured each other that they’re not in competition, but that hasn’t stopped speculation. And with Jess and Mark’s brother Joshua having got married in 2018 (they also have a younger sister, Natalya), the subject of kids is on the whole family’s lips. With Mark and Michelle being the first to get married, we’re told the assumption is that they’ll be first to go for it, especially now that both have taken a step away from their demanding careers.
“Jess has told Michelle not to sweat it, and just focus on her own path,” we’re told. “But she’s also making no secret of the fact she’s desperate to be a mum. It’s really got Michelle thinking.”
Whether they like it or not, it seems the baby race IS on – and the grandparents-to-be are cheering away. ■