Shay Mitchell and Matte Babel let the world in on some big news this week: they’re having a baby! Oh, and they’ve been dating for several years! And she’s launching a web series about her pregnancy!
The Canadian actress, known for her roles in “Pretty Little Liars” and the Netflix series “You,” made the pregnancy announcement on Instagram Friday with a photo that puts her baby bump on full display.
The post came as a surprise, as Mitchell has waited six months to reveal her pregnancy. And also surprising to some fans was the fact she even had a partner.
But Babel, a Toronto native and former Much Music host turned music manager confirmed the news on his Instagram feed several hours later:
The couple have kept their relationship pretty low-key, but they’ve made appearances on each other’s Instagrams. Babel has also been in some of Mitchell’s YouTube videos.
They’re both currently based in L.A. Mitchell hasn’t said anything about where the baby will be raised. She was born to a Filipino mother and Scottish-Irish father in Mississauga, Ont. Babel was born in Toronto.
Watch: Matte Babel interviews Shay Mitchell on the set of ’The Possession Of Hannah Grace’. Story continues below.
Mitchell also teased a YouTube series called ‘Almost Ready’ which follows her during the pregnancy in biweekly episodes.
“When you’re in the public eye, there are just some things you want to keep secret until you feel ready,” she says in the opening shot. “This is going to be really fun and awesome when I’m not trying to hide it anymore.”
The teaser features clips of Mitchell excitedly telling friends about her pregnancy, and some real moments of her dealing with her changing body and the “loneliness” of the experience.
Mitchell’s pregnancy announcement comes months after she had taken to Instagram to share the devastating news of having a miscarriage.
“The support and affection that so many of you show me lifts me up during even my darkest days, one of which happened last year after I miscarried and lost the child of my hopes and dreams,” she wrote.
In the past, she’s discussed the struggle of growing up with her Filipino identity in a predominantly white community in Toronto.
“A lot of my friends’ nannies were from the Philippines and they’d be like ‘What are you?’”
It’s likely Mitchell will bring that same openness and honesty to her pregnancy series.
“I’ve learned so much about myself and parenthood over the past 6 months, and feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface!” she said in the video description.
“It’s going to be a wild ride!!”