Actress Lily Collins has made the surprising announcement that she’s now a proud parent. The 35-year-old Emily in Paris star took to Instagram on Friday night alongside her husband, film director Charlie McDowell, to reveal the news in a joint post.
The pair have been together since 2019, and excitedly introduced their child, welcomed via surrogate, to online fans. “Welcome to the center of our world Tove Jane McDowell,” Lilly penned. “Words will never express our endless gratitude for our incredible surrogate and everyone who helped us along the way. We love you to the moon and back again…”
Experts at Ancestry UK claim the name Tove is deeply rooted in Scandinavian culture, reports the Mirror. It stems from the Old Norse term tfa or tofi, symbolising beauty.
It also carries the strong connection to the Norse deity Thor, representing strength and guardianship. Baby Tove has inherited the middle name Jane from mum Lily, who herself is the offspring of rock legend Phil Collins and his former spouse, Jill Tavelman.
News of Tove’s birth was met with countless congratulatory comments, with fans and A-list friends expressing their well wishes. Among them was co-star Ashley Park from Netflix’s hit series Emily in Paris, who wrote: “Mom and dadddddd.” Meanwhile, Mamma Mia! actress Amanda Seyfried penned: “This is perfect. So so happy for you four,” as Katherine Langford said: “So happy for you both!”
Amidst this, Charlie expressed his gratitude, though calling attention to unkind messages surrounding his partner’s choice of birth through surrogacy. He wrote: “Thank you for all the kind messages and love. We are overjoyed and very grateful.
“In regards to the unkind messages about surrogacy and our path to having a baby – it’s ok to not be an expert on surrogacy. It’s ok to not know why someone might need a surrogate to have a child. It’s ok to not know the motivations of a surrogate regardless of what you assume.
“And it’s ok to spend less time spewing hateful words into the world, especially in regards to a beautiful baby girl who has brought a lot of love into people’s lives. That’s all for now because she just pooped and I need to change her diaper.”
Lily’s update came shortly after the actress celebrated her famous father Phil Collins’ birthday. With touching photos accompanying her message, she wrote on Thursday: “From a west coast star to the West End stage and everywhere in between – I’m so grateful to be by your side and for the support, experiences, and love we have and will continue to share.
“The older I get, the greater I appreciate all the little, special moments spent together. Happy birthday Dad. I couldn’t love you more or be more thankful to celebrate you today and every day. Truly. To the moon and back again…”