MUM’S THE WORD
It’s a girl! The actress and the rock star are enjoying every second of parenthood after secretly welcoming their first child
Cameron Diaz is a mother! Us has the scoop on her and Benji Madden’s first week as parents to new daughter Raddix.
Talk about starting 2020 with a bang! “We are so happy, blessed and grateful to begin this decade by announcing the birth of our daughter, Raddix Madden,” an ecstatic Cameron Diaz posted on her Instagram on Jan. 3. The news was quite a shock to fans of the 47-year-old actress and her rocker husband, Benji Madden — but a very welcome one. “She has captured our hearts and completed our family,” continued Diaz of her new bundle of joy, adding, “We won’t be posting pictures or sharing any more details, other than the fact that she is really, really cute!! Some would even say RAD.”
According to insiders, the couple have been dreaming of this moment for a long time. The My Best Friend’s
Wedding star and the 40-year-old Good Charlotte guitarist — who wed in January 2015 — spent years trying to start a family before finally welcoming Raddix via surrogate on Dec. 30, says a source close to Diaz. “They went through so much to get to this point,” the source tells Us. “Cameron feels like this baby is truly a miracle.”
The first-time parents are on cloud nine as they get little Raddix settled in at their Beverly Hills pad and adjust to the first few weeks of life at home with a newborn. “It’s been like a magical whirlwind,” says another insider, adding that Madden has been “waiting on Cam hand and foot, which is really sweet to see.” As they endure sleepless nights and round-the-clock feedings, they can’t stop marveling at their precious baby girl. “They just can’t believe their little miracle is finally here,” says the insider. “They’ve spent the last five years hoping for this, and it surpassed all of their expectations.”
STRUGGLING TO CONCEIVE
Diaz was never desperate for children. Back in 2014, she defended her status as a single and childless fortysomething, saying, “I’m not going to do something because it’s expected. If a family happens, then it happens.” But when she fell in love with Madden — they were introduced in 2014 by Diaz’s galpal, Nicole Richie, who married Madden’s twin brother, Joel, in
2010 — she started to sing a different tune. She’d met her soulmate, and wanted to start a family with him. In 2018, a source told Us she and Madden were trying to get pregnant.
Attempts at IVF were
unsuccessful. “It just hasn’t worked out yet,” the source told Us. It wasn’t an easy time for the author of The Longevity Book, and the struggle caused “a roller coaster of emotions.” But the couple refused to throw in the towel. “They aren’t giving up,” the source said then of Diaz and Madden. “They don’t know exactly what it will look like, whether it will be natural or through adoption or surrogacy, but they still believe they’ll have a happy ending.”
Meanwhile, Diaz embraced a new, low-key lifestyle. In 2018, she also announced her retirement from acting and took a break from the spotlight (her last feature film was 2014’s Annie). “She’s a homemaker and is very fulfilled in her life with Benji,” a source told Us in 2019. “She’s content just being at home and cooking. She loves cooking for Benji and for friends.”
HAPPY NEWS
Finally, they got what they’d been waiting for. “Cameron dreamed about this day for many years and wasn’t sure if it would ever happen,” says the source. “She and Benji couldn’t be happier or more ready to start this journey.”
According to the insider, friends of the couple believe the name “Raddix” is a combination of “rad” (one of their fave words) and a translation of “new beginning”
— a fitting sentiment after their challenging journey to parenthood. “It’s so like Cam and Benji to pick a quirky yet meaningful name,” says the insider, “and they agree it suits her perfectly.”
EARLY DAYS
Diaz and Madden are naturals at parenting. “They’ve adapted beautifully,” says the insider. Echoes the source, “They’re so great with kids and will be incredibly fun and loving parents.” They’ve had some practice — many of Diaz’s closest friends (including bestie Drew Barrymore) have children, and she and Madden have nieces and nephews (Madden’s brother shares daughter Harlow, 12, and son Sparrow, 10, with Richie). “Cameron’s very close with all her nieces and nephews,” says the source. “They all adore her and are excited to see her as a mom with a baby of her own.”
They’ve got a ton of support around them. “Nicole and Joel have been so great, and they’ve offered to help in any way they can, both now and moving forward,” says the insider. Joel proudly retweeted Diaz’s birth announcement on Twitter with red heart emojis on Jan. 3. “They’re going to be a huge part of Raddix’s life — the plan is to really integrate the two families so all the kids can grow up together and be one big, happy family.”
The pair kept the news a secret for as long as they could — after so many setbacks on their road to parenthood, they couldn’t bear to get ahead of themselves. Now, they’re ready to celebrate, says the insider. “Everyone’s thrilled to see them in this wonderful place.”
PERFECT FAMILY
And no one’s more grateful than the sleep-deprived but blissful new mom and dad. “Cameron and Benji had been trying to have a baby for a long time,” says the insider. “There were disappointments along the way, so it was difficult and stressful at times. But they say it was a price worth paying,” the insider adds. “They feel beyond blessed.”
CAMERON FINALLY GOT HER HAPPY ENDING AFTER A LONG, HARD PROCESS.” A SOURCE TELLS US