Turn back the clock 12 months and life couldn't have been any better for Jamie Lomas and his fiancée Jess Bell - or so they thought.
The couple got engaged in July 2023, during a holiday to Mexico; they had a stunning home in Manchester; they enjoyed the delightful company of Jamie's 13-year-old daughter Polly (with ex-wife Kym Marsh), who stays over regularly; and they shared their beloved miniature dachshund Jeffrey. But then their first child together, baby Bella, came along and made their dream set-up even more magical.
In an exclusive photoshoot with OK!, the couple - who met in 2021 through mutual friends - confessed that a new addition to the family wasn't exactly on the cards, but was the best surprise they could ever have hoped for.
"I just didn't see how a baby would fit in around our lives," Jess, 36, who is a cosmetic dentist, explains.
"But you learn to make things work, and I'm so glad we did. She's completed us." Jamie - who is also dad to son Billy, 18, from a previous relationship and Jess welcomed their beautiful baby girl Bella Nevaeh Lomas on 29 July, weighing 6lb 8oz.
"We wanted a name that was meaningful to us," Jamie, 49, smiles. "Bella is a nod to Jess's surname and Nevaeh is 'heaven' backwards. Bella also means beautiful so it's 'beautiful heaven'." And when OK! meets Bella, just 15 days after her birth, at our photoshoot at the couple's home, she's protectively guarded by Jeffrey who "follows her everywhere she goes" Her arrival, the couple tell us, was one filled with happiness, love and joy, and the newborn has settled contentedly into their lives.
Here, Jamie and Jess talk us through their beautiful new addition, wedding bells and Jess's close relationship with Jamie's ex Kym...
Hi, Jamie and Jess. Congratulations! You must be over the moon...
Denne historien er fra August 26, 2024-utgaven av OK! UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra August 26, 2024-utgaven av OK! UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
THE PITFALLS OF AT-HOME REMEDIES
Some online health advice could be putting our wellbeing at risk
GREEK RETREATS
Relax and unwind at some of the Greek islands' best wellness destinations, offering sun, sea - and spas
Food from home
Romy Gill takes us on a journey through the ancestral kitchens of the Bengal and Punjab regions by sharing 70 of her beloved family recipes
DANCING QUEEN: 'You'd have to shovel me out of my Strictly chair'
Shirley Ballas loves her role as head judge on the hit BBC dance show and despite struggling with back pain, she won't be putting her feet up any time soon, she tells OK! in an exclusive interview
FAMILY TIME: 'I feel content and in a good place - I was so different before I became a mum'
Reality TV star Ferne McCann on motherhood, marriage and being inspired by her children
THE MATCHMAKER: 'I would pay to go on My Mum, Your Dad if I wasn't in a relationship'
As the hit ITV dating series where single parents get a second chance of finding love returns, host Davina McCall reveals why the show is such a success
REEL DRAMA: BRAD STEALS THE SHOW AT MAJOR MOVIE EVENT
A host of screen stars graced the red carpet for the 81st Venice International Film Festival
FAMILY MATTERS: 'PETE AND I GET ON EACH OTHER'S NERVES, BUT WE LAUGH EVERY DAY'
Presenter Abbey Clancy tells us her secret to a happy marriage and why she loves the chaos of family life
SUMMER OF LOVE: 'We just match each other perfectly'
Olympic swimmer Matthew Richards marries fiancée Emily Large in a fairytale ceremony, making it a summer that they'll never forget
LIFE, LOVE AND DUTY: QUEEN CAMILLA'S JOURNEY INTO THE SPOTLIGHT
Following another busy week of duties, it's clear Queen Camilla has taken to her role in the monarchy “like a duck to water\" says former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond