As Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan prepare to welcome their first child, it’s understandable that he would be feeling over-protective of his wife. But after a terrifying raid at their £3.5m Essex home last week, sources tell Closer that the former TOWIE star won’t take any chances when it comes to their safety.
Mark, 38, and heavily pregnant Michelle, 37, were forced to hide in their bedroom behind a locked door while four masked raiders stormed the mansion in the early evening of 18 February. It was understood that the gang – who forced their way in by smashing through the patio doors at the back of the property – left empty-handed in a getaway car after they were scared off when they heard Mark yelling. Police arrived within minutes, after they were alerted via the state-of-the-art security system.
An insider says, ‘Mark and Michelle have understandably been in a state of complete shock following the terror of that night and they’re incredibly shaken-up by the ordeal. They went from being in their own little bubble of happiness as they prepare for their new arrival to having their world turned upside down with such a traumatic experience.’
Unsurprisingly, the insider says Mark has become even more protective of Michelle and their unborn baby as he ramps up the security in and around their home, after police said that the pair could have been targeted by a professional gang looking for a ‘big score’. Essex Police have increased ‘high visibility’ patrols in the area while the investigation continues.
But despite this, our source says Mark is taking his own precautions.
‘Mark’s instinctively gone into protective mode and is incredibly worried about Michelle and the baby – not leaving her alone for a second and doing everything he can to ensure this never happens again.
'He’s vowed to fight back and has already instructed his security team to overhaul their current system – insisting money is no object as he insists he wants to bring-in 24-hour bodyguards, AI CCTV surveillance, security checkpoints… as well as consulting with Hollywood companies to source the gold standard protection used by the world’s biggest stars.’
The terrifying ordeal came a day after Fool Me Once actress Michelle enjoyed a ‘girls only’ day out at a restaurant with her mother-in-law Carol, sister-in-laws Natalya and Jessica and close friends. ‘We organised the perfect “girls only” day before a baby Wright arrives,’ Natalya said, as she shared photos of the event on Instagram.
Mark and Michelle, who celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary in May, announced that they are expecting their first child in December, with a post on Instagram showing off her baby bump. ‘2025 is going to be a special one for us…’ they said.
Opening up about her excitement for motherhood, Michelle recently revealed, ‘I’m going to take a good chunk of time off to enjoy being a mum. I’m never normally at home in the summer, I’ve always been away working, so I can’t wait.’
The couple began building their ‘dream home’ from scratch in 2021, documenting their two-year progress on a dedicated Instagram account. which has 665k followers. The page features interior and exterior photos and videos of the house, which has a swimming pool, luxury gym and extensive grounds. Mark posts regularly, sharing selfies of him mowing the lawn, taking a swim, playing football and the beautiful views. His last post was as in early February, when he shared photos of the ‘mind-blowing’ staircase.
The couple held their housewarming party, which they dubbed ‘Marchella’, in August 2023. ‘A long time coming. We did it! Thanks to all our loved ones and the people that made it so special,’ they said in a joint post.
And Michelle added that its completion is meaningful. ‘It still gets me emotional. Because we’ve worked really hard for it. We’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices. But, it’s worth it. And the house – it’s also about security. Because you never know when all this is going to end,’ she said.
But with the baby on the way, Mark’s getting into dad mode and doing all he can to keep his family protected.
‘Mark is doing whatever he can to keep Michelle safe and ensure she has any help she needs to get through this so she can be in the right headspace for when the baby comes,’ our insider says.
‘If any good has come out of this, it’s bought them closer together than ever and shocked them into making their home as safe as possible for the time their little one arrives.’