Strictly Come Dancing’s Natalie Lowe has welcomed her first child

Strictly Come Dancing’s Natalie Lowe has welcomed her first child.

The professional dancer took to social media to share she and her husband were "overjoyed" to announce the arrival of their baby boy. "Overjoyed to announce the arrival of Jack James Knibbs weighing in at 8lbs 8oz," she said. "We’re all doing amazingly well and are so grateful for this gift of life. Massive thank you to all the incredible team at St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester."

Overjoyed to announce the arrival of Jack James Knibbs weighing in at 8lbs 8oz ???. We’re all doing amazingly well and are so grateful for this gift of life. Massive thank you to all the incredible team at St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester @MFT_SMH @bbcstrictly @Fit_Steps ?❤️

— Natalie Lowe (@RealNatalieLowe) December 7, 2019

Natalie announced she and her husband, James Knibbs, were expecting their first child back in August. The Aussie dancer, who joined Strictly in 2009, shared an adorable throwback photo from their wedding day. "So happy to be able to tell the world our AMAZING NEWS," she captioned the photo. "My husband James and I are expecting!" The 38-year-old said that it had been "a rather long and difficult journey" to conceive, "as it is sadly for many [people]." She continued:

"But we are almost there and now it's not really happening. I am 21 weeks pregnant [and] out precious baby is due (would you believe it) the weekend of the Strictly final. " We are over the moon excited and can’t wait to bring a little one of our own into this AMAZING world. I now only have 1 season of #SCD to prepare for bubba’s arrival... yikes."

The four-time Australian ballroom dance champion retired from Strictly in 2017, after eight seasons on the show. Speaking at the time, she said her time on the BBC dance competition was "everything that I dreamed it would be and more". She continued:

"I’ll be forever grateful for the amazing time, opportunities and memories that Strictly has created for me.’ "From the friendships I developed, the amazing dances I was able to perform in and the experiences that Strictly provided, it has been an incredible and extraordinary adventure."