Culture

Olympic boxer Nicola Adams expecting first baby with partner Ella Baig

By Zoya Raza-Sheikh

18th February 2022

The former boxing champion Nicola Adams and partner, Ella Baig, have announced they are expecting their first child together.

Adams took to social media to share that her “family is expanding” and she was “so excited” by the news.

Taking to Twitter and Instagram, the 39-year-old shared a photo of herself with Baig and an image of an ultrasound scan.

“We’re so excited to announce that our family is expanding. After what feels like a lifetime, we can finally say we’re going to be parents!” the post read.

“We’re so excited to share this magical journey with you all, the ups, the downs everything in between. Welcome to the world little one.”

The former Strictly star has previously opened up about the fertility journey with IVF for Vogue UK. The couple had gone through two rounds of IVF, with Baig experiencing a miscarriage.

“We both knew we wanted kids from the beginning, but it wasn’t until about a year into our relationship that we started to have more serious conversations about it,” Adams told Vogue.

“For us, it was more complicated than it would be for a straight couple and there were a lot of different factors to consider. Who was going to carry the baby? Whose egg were we going to use? And what about the sperm?”

Adams added: “I think there’s still a stigma attached to the IVF process and, for same-sex couples, there’s an additional layer of complexity.

“All of this needs to be spoken about more widely. People need to be educated about this process so that they’re not going into it completely blind. The information is out there but we really had to dig for it.”

Adams won two gold medals in her Olympic career. The athlete made history after winning gold during the London 2012 Olympics and again in Rio 2016. The boxer held the WBO female flyweight title and retired undefeated in 2019.

The former boxer also made history with professional dancer Katya Jones in 2020 after appearing on Strictly Come Dancing as the first same-sex dance couple.