Tom Ellis, Meaghan Oppenheimer Secretly Welcome Baby Via Surrogate

Lucifer star Tom Ellis and wife Meaghan Oppenheimer have welcomed their first baby together via surrogate.

“Our daughter Dolly Ellis-Oppenheimer was born on November 8th and within five hours of being alive, she single-handedly ended the SAG strike,” Ellis, 44, and Oppenheimer, 37, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, November 9, alongside photos of themselves in the hospital with their newborn. “We love her. Huge thank you to our amazing surrogate 💕.”

The arrival of the couple’s little one marks Oppenheimer’s first time as a mom and cements Ellis’ title as an official girl dad. He is already the father of daughter Nora, 18, from a previous relationship, and shares daughters Florence, 15, and Marnie, 11, with ex-wife Tamzin Outhwaite. The pair were married for seven years their divorce in 2014.

Ellis and Oppenheimer met in 2015 and announced their engagement two years later. They tied the knot in June 2019, with Ellis taking to social media to celebrate the news with his fans. “My new wife @moppyoppenheimer was a little unsure about my choice of transport for the honeymoon 🤗 thank you to everyone who made our special day so precious,” he captioned a sweet Instagram snap of the newlyweds at their wedding.

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In addition to sharing his love for Oppenheimer, Ellis often takes to social media to gush over fatherhood. In August 2020, he opened up to The Guardian about the struggles of being away from his daughters amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s been excruciating,” told the outlet. “There is a part of you that isn’t there when they’re not around.” (Ellis was in Los Angeles shooting Lucifer when COVID-19 hit while his children remained in the U.K.)

“Trying to remain positive while the world is falling apart and having your children away from you and not knowing you will see them was just … yeah,” he said, before noting that he was planning a “long-awaited reunion” with the girls after a seven-month separation.

Ellis might be close with his daughters — but that doesn’t mean they’re fans of his career.

“My kids are the least impressed about any work that I do, which is quite amusing,” the actor told People in 2016. “Time and time again, if I’m on the telly, I’ll go: ‘Look, it’s Dad on the telly,’ and they’ll sort of look up, give it a cursory glance and then carry on with what they’re doing ’cause it really doesn’t faze them at all.”

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He continued, “The only thing they really, really liked me doing is a very gentle sitcom that I did back in the U.K.,” he said, adding, “They are my biggest fans as a dad but not as an actor.”

Ellis noted that his girls’ biggest peeve, however, was when he tried to get creative at home. “What they don’t like me doing is talking in any sort of characters’ voices,” he quipped. “It really doesn’t sit well with them.”