Congratulations! (Picture: Channel Five)
A legendary Big Brother housemate has announced the joyful news of his second child’s birth, revealing the baby’s unique and beautiful name.
All the way back in 2001, Brian Dowling was crowned the winner of the competition, leaving the Channel 4 series with a £70,000 cash prize and newfound fame.
He went on to star in the spin-off Ultimate Big Brother in 2010, which he also ended up winning.
More than two decades after his first reality TV stint, the now-46-year-old is a father of two, having welcomed a new baby girl with his husband, dancer Arthur Gourounlian.
In a new Instagram post, Brian shared a series of emotional pictures of himself and Arthur with their youngest child, with the pair of them wearing scrubs as they held the newborn.
‘Please be upstanding for the arrival of our BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER, Blu Amar Rose Dowling Gourounlian. Blu was delivered safely on Sunday, June 23rd, at 13:33h, weighing 6lb 2ozs.
Brian and Arthur were overjoyed to share their happy news (Picture: @bprdowling/instagram)
The couple shared emotional photos of themselves meeting their newborn daughter for the first time (Picture: @bprdowling/instagram)
‘Myself & Papa @gourounlian are ABSOLUTELY BESOTTED & actually can’t believe we now have two little beauties to keep us on our toes.’
Brian then gave a shoutout to his sister Aoife Dowling, who was the couple’s surrogate.
‘@effidy_dowling_, you are a SUPERSTAR & we are, as always, FOREVER GRATEFUL,’ he wrote.
‘You stayed so calm, considering it wasn’t exactly the birth plan we had initially hoped for. Baby Blu was adamant to arrive on Sunday, the 23rd of June & nothing or no one was going to stop her 😜🥰 🤣 Big Sister Blake, you have been activated 🤩.’
Brian and Arthur, 44, are already dads to their older daughter Blake, who was born in September 2022.
After appearing as a housemate on Big Brother, Brian went on to present the celebrity spin-off series (Picture: Jonathan Hordle/Rex Features/Shutterstock)
Their already dads to their one-year-old daughter Blake(Picture: @bprdowling/instagram)
Following the news of the new addition to their family, they’ve been inundated with messages of support and congratulations, including from radio presenter Sonny Jay, who recently became a first-time dad himself.
‘Congratulations to you all! ❤️,’ wrote The Saturdays singer Una Healy, while TV personality Tanya Bardsley added: ‘Congratulations so happy for you all 😍❤️.’
An Instagram user called Emma added: ‘Oh wow congratulations to you all, you have your hands full now. Blake will be the best big sister ever, can’t wait to see Blu.’
Another named Lisa wrote: ‘Omg GUYS this is the best news wow congratulations to you and hello baby Blu ❤️❤️❤️ what a fun life you have ahead.’
Brian and Arthur – who has been a back-up dancer for stars including Girls Aloud, P!nk and Beyoncé – have been married since 2015.
Arthur was a judge on the reality TV series The World’s Best, while Brian has also appeared on TV shows including Hell’s Kitchen, Come Dine With Me and Dancing With The Stars.
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