Ophelia Lovibond Announces Pregnancy with First Child and Bump Photo

Ophelia Lovibond has announced she is expecting her first child with her husband, actor Henry Pettigrew, whom she met while playing his on-stage lover.

The 39-year-old actress, known for her roles in Guardians of the Galaxy and the BBC comedy W1A, confirmed the joyful news on Instagram on Monday alongside a black and white snap revealing her blossoming baby bump.

In the photo, Ophelia cradles her belly as she walks barefoot along a sandy beach in a bikini and unbuttoned shirt, beaming beneath a pair of oversized sunglasses.

‘Baby on the way!,’ she captioned it, adding the hashtags #overthemoon #comingsoon and #littledarling – and tagging her husband.

The announcement was met with a wave of love from fans and friends, with singer Pixie Lott writing: ‘congratulations!’ while Sophie Ellis-Bextor commented: ‘Woo! Congratulations! Happy news xxxx’.

TV presenter Laura Whitmore added: ‘Congrats lovely. The best x.’

Ophelia Lovibond has announced she is expecting her first child with her husband, actor Henry Pettigrew, whom she met while playing his on-stage lover

The 39-year-old actress, known for her roles in Guardians of the Galaxy and the BBC comedy W1A, confirmed the joyful news on Instagram on Monday [pictured with Henry in 2023]

Ophelia met Henry, who played moon-landing astronaut Neil Armstrong in The Crown, when they were cast as on-stage lovers in Lucy Prebble’s play The Effect in 2015.

At the time, Ophelia was in a relationship with actor Tom Hughes, who later struck up a romance with Jenna Coleman after they played husband and wife in ITV’s Victoria.

‘It was quite intense – the characters in the play fall in love. We just knew,’ Ophelia has since reflected.

She got engaged to Henry in 2021, and they married the following year at London’s historic Wilton’s Music Hall. 

Ophelia described the event as her ‘dream wedding,’ sharing a flurry of photos from the day on Instagram.

She stunned in a flowing white satin gown by Halfpenny London, complete with a dramatic oversized bow, while Henry looked dapper in a navy suede blazer and bow tie.

‘Baby on the way!,’ she captioned it, adding the hashtags #overthemoon #comingsoon and #littledarling – and tagging her husband

The announcement was met with a wave of love from fans and friends, with singer Pixie Lott writing: ‘congratulations!’

She got engaged to Henry in 2021, and they married the following year at London’s historic Wilton’s Music Hall [pictured] 

‘Dream wedding, dream man, dream dress, dream flowers, dream food, dream music, dream guests, dream day ❤️ Still not sunk in how spectacularly special it all was…’ she wrote. 

Her new husband echoed the sentiment, posting: ‘I married my best friend.’

The pair were serenaded by a gospel choir performing Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered, and exchanged vows surrounded by wildflowers and twinkling fairy lights.

Ophelia’s career has gone from strength to strength in recent years. As well as her leading role in feminist comedy Minx, she starred as Carrie Johnson – wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson – in Sky’s This Sceptred Isle, chronicling the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also appeared as Carina in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: The Dark World.

Henry, meanwhile, has continued to work across television, film and theatre.