Dianne Buswell has welcomed her first child with her boyfriend Joe Sugg, as she paid tribute to her father Mark with the newborn’s name.
The couple – who met on the BBC show in 2018 – announced they were expecting their first child back in September.
Dianne was the first professional in Strictly’s history to compete while pregnant, before her partner Stefan Dennis was forced to pull out due to injury in 2025.
Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Dianne shared that she had given birth to a baby boy named Bowden, with her son’s middle names a nod to both her beloved father Mark and Joe’s late grandfather Richard, who died in 2021.
Her post included a snap of her adorable son in Dianne’s arms, along with the moment she and Joe brought their baby boy home from the hospital.
Sharing her son’s full name, she captioned the post: ‘Never felt a love like it. Baby Bowden Mark Richard Sugg. 16/03/26.’
Dianne Buswell has welcomed her first child with her boyfriend Joe Sugg, as she paid tribute to her father Mark with the newborn’s name
Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Dianne shared that she had given birth to a baby boy named Bowden as she shared sweet snaps of the moment he came home from hospital
Many of Dianne’s Strictly co-stars offered their congratulations in the comments, with Vicky Pattison writing: ‘Omg!!!! Congratulations guys!!! He is Perfect.’
Vito Coppola wrote: ‘Oh Finally, bello di zio. I am so so happy, crying for joy and happiness. Uncle Vito cannot wait to meet you ☺️ Love love love ♥️ Bellissimo a zio.’
Nancy Xu gushed: ‘Untie Nancy can’t wait to meet you, welcome to the world my beautiful angel. CONGRATULATIONS MY D D and @joe_sugg.’
Janette Manrara commented: ‘The best news!!! Congratulations my gorgeous girl. So happy for you and @joe_sugg. The most beautiful moments in life are to come.’
Amy Dowden added: ‘Utter perfection. So happy for you both, welcome baby Bowden! I can’t wait for cwtches xxxx.’
‘OMG!! Congrats to you both!!!’ Gorka Marquez posted.
Fleur East posted: ‘Ahhhh he’s here! Congratulations to both of you.’
Dianne shared her joyful pregnancy news on Instagram back in September ahead of the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing.
For their pregnancy reveal video, poignantly set to Elton John’s Tiny Dancer, Dianne and Joe set up an easel and pretended to paint a picture together, with playful dramatics.
They then picked up the canvas to display it to the camera, revealing a drawing of two stickmen – one with Dianne’s signature flaming red hair – holding hands with a baby.
The couple added that their first child was due in 2026 and even revealed the sex of their little one, declaring they were expecting a son.
Joe captioned the clip: ‘Our little baby boy ❤️ we cannot wait to meet you.’
The couple were flooded with congratulatory comments from friends and fans, with their fellow Strictly stars leading the well-wishes.
Dianne hinted that the birth of their baby son was imminent in February in a sweet update.
She created a video montage of her and her partner Joe Sugg’s items and then added miniature versions.
Dianne said ‘now we wait’ after showing she was ready for the birth with tiny clothes, shoes and even a Strictly-themed onesie ready for the baby.
She captioned the Instagram post: ‘When 2 will soon become 3 the last one!’
The couple’s son’s middle names are a nod to both Dianne’s beloved father Mark, and Joe’s late grandfather Richard, who died in 2021
Dianne went on to share a new snap of her baby boy on her Instagram Stories, while sharing the pronunciation of her son’s name
Many of Joe and Dianne’s Strictly co-stars offered their congratulations for the couple in the comments of their post
The couple – who met on the BBC show in 2018 – announced they were expecting their first child back in September, making Dianne the first pro to compete on Strictly while pregnant
Joe and Dianne struck up a romance when they were paired together during the sixteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2018.
Strictly bosses reportedly put contingency plans in place for Dianne as she became the first pregnant star to compete in the competition last year.
With the baby due in early 2026 and the Strictly final in December 2025, she could have potentially been dancing right up until her due date, forcing bosses to ensure they had a back up plan.
A source told The Sun: ‘Producers have plans in place, and there are several pros who could easily step in and take over at a moment’s notice, because the show must go on.
‘The BBC’s primary concern is the health and wellbeing of Dianne and they fully intend to support her through the process with regular check-ins from the welfare team.’
Meanwhile a Strictly source told Daily Mail: ‘This story makes something out of nothing – the plans described have long existed for everyone, and it’s misleading to claim otherwise.’
Dianne competed on last year’s series alongside fellow Aussie, Neighbours actor Stefan Dennis, but the duo were forced to withdraw after he sustained an injury.
The rumour mill was quickly flooded with people speculating that Stefan’s injury was in fact a cover-up and that Dianne’s pregnancy was the reason for their withdrawal.
But Dianne rushed to Instagram to squash the rumours, penning: ‘Just to clarify as I have had lots of people msg me thinking this is a cover up for me being not able to dance!?
‘Firstly we wouldn’t lie especially about somebody being sick! And secondly I am fine, yes I am pregnant but I’m also very capable and feeling really good!’
She also explained that there are protocols in place regarding the professionals sickness as she added: ‘Thirdly there are things in place if any pro were to get sick or injured.’
Dianne made lots of hints towards their baby plans in the months leading up to their pregnancy announcement, admitting in May that she was desperate to become a mum.
But the star, who won the Glitterball Trophy with partner Chris McCausland in 2024, explained that the gruelling demands of her showbiz career had put their family plans on hold.
She told The Sun: ‘I would like to have children, 100 per cent. Joe and I love kids, and that’s definitely something that we would absolutely love. I haven’t really thought about how many I would like. It will definitely happen.’
