Carol Vorderman seems to have given the nod to Joe Lycett’s surprising baby announcement after fans were left scratching their heads, wondering if it was just another one of his pranks. The 36 year old comedian caused quite the stir among his followers when he shared an image of himself holding a newborn in a park, declaring his new role as a father.
Given Joe’s reputation for crafting elaborate hoaxes, many of his fans speculated that this was just another stunt, with one commenting on Instagram: “I’m just worried this will come out as him cuddling a bunch of rhubarb in a hat tbh.”
Yet, Countdown legend Carol Vorderman, aged 63, seems to have put some weight behind the news, replying with: “Hooray, there he is. Both of you, all of you. Congratulations to both of you,” suggesting she might have been privy to the pregnancy news before it broke.
Joe, who identifies as “pansexual”, took to Instagram to share the news of his child’s birth, after previously mentioning a girlfriend named ‘Denise’, which he confessed isn’t her real name. He posted a heartfelt picture cradling his little one inside his jacket and expressed his gratitude towards the staff at Birmingham Women’s Hospital for their exceptional care, saying: “In appreciation post from me for the extraordinary @bham_womens hospital.
“My first encounter with them was years ago when they looked after a pal of mine through surgery, and then most recently when they masterfully welcomed a little boy into the world, who happens to be my son.”
“The care and compassion his mum and he received was exceptional; from the antenatal classes, incredible midwives, consultants, doctors, nurses and the ongoing care in the community. We also loved their baked potatoes. Birmingham is so lucky to have them and I will be forever grateful for everything they’ve done.”, reports the Mirror.
He continued: “I am LOVING being a dad but sadly I think this now means I can’t get out of going on Rob and Josh’s f**king podcast. We will not be taking any press requests about this as we have already sold the rights to the first family picture to Autotrader.”
His revelation followed Joe’s disclosure that he has a secret girlfriend. While speaking on Bimini Bon-Boulash’s podcast The Pieces, the Travel Man presenter shared details about his partner, whom he calls Denise as a pseudonym to protect her privacy.
He said: “So I’ve got Winston the cat, and my partner Denise. And, um, she’s not called Denise, but I don’t talk about her, because she has a job that she can’t be in the public eye. I call her Denise because she hates the name Denise, so, uh, I live with Denise.”