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Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell Welcome First Child

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On Friday, the Emily In Paris star and her filmmaker husband announced the birth of their first child, a daughter, which was conceived via surrogacy.

“Welcome to the center of our world Tove Jane McDowell. Words will never express our endless gratitude for our incredible surrogate and everyone who helped us along the way. We love you to the moon and back again…” Collins wrote on Instagram alongside a picture of her newborn.

Their daughter’s first name appears to be inspired by Finnish author Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomin series, which Collins described as deeply influential in her life.

Tove’s surrogate mother gave birth earlier this week in Northern California. The couple, who tied the knot in 2021, kept their choice to conceive via surrogacy private throughout the pregnancy. 

Collins, 34 met McDowell, 41, in 2019 when she was cast in the latter’s planned film, which was later shelved. Their romance blossomed anyway, uniting two Hollywood elite families: Collins is the daughter of Genesis frontman Phil Collins, while McDowell is the son of actors Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen. 

While the news of Tove’s birth is largely received with joy, some on the internet have taken to criticizing their decision to use surrogacy, to which McDowell has responded.

“In regards to the unkind messages about surrogacy and our path to having a baby— it’s ok to not be an expert on surrogacy,” he wrote. “It’s ok to not know why someone might need a surrogate to have a child. It’s ok to not know the motivations of a surrogate regardless of what you assume. And it’s ok to spend less time spewing hateful words into the world, especially in regards to a beautiful baby girl who has brought a lot of love into people’s lives.”

“That’s all for now because she just pooped and I need to change her diaper,” the new dad concluded.

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