They’ve made no secret of wanting to start a family together, with Mark Wright recently revealing he’s “really excited” about the idea of having a baby, while his wife Michelle Keegan admitted last year she “definitely wants kids in the future”
But Michelle, 32, is currently filming season four of Our Girl in South Africa, while Mark, also 32, is based in his native Essex – and so their baby plans have been put on hold.
Now, insiders reveal that Mark’s sister Jess, 33 – who recently went public with her businessman boyfriend William Lee-Kemp – is considering having a baby.
It would make her the first in the Wright family to do so, and it’s caused a stir between all the siblings and their partners, including Mark’s brother Josh, 29, who married Hollie Kane last year.
A source says, “Jess is really loved-up with William – she’s gushing about how they’ve already spoken about having kids, despite the fact that they’ve only been together for a few months. She’d like to make that a reality and has been quite vocal about it.
“She feels she’s the right age now, and knows enough about relationships to know when it’s the real deal. She thinks a baby would complete things.”
In April, Jess revealed her mum Carol was excited to become a grandparent, saying, “She can’t wait for grandchildren. She’s got four children… so yeah, my parents are definitely waiting for that time to happen.”
And pals say Michelle’s been a little put-out at the possibility that Jess – who dated Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice last year following a rocky two-year relationship with TOWIE co-star Ricky Rayment – could get pregnant before her.
Check out: axed TOWIE stars - where are they now?
CLOSER axed TOWIE stars - where are they now Harry head
1 of 26Harry Derbridge, series 1- 3 and 12
Harry Derbridge was a Towie original and still holds a very special place in our hearts. He made a welcome return to the show as Bobby Norris's love interest but, allegedly, cheated on him.
2 of 26Harry Derbridge, 2018
Harry now works it as a make-up artist. Is it us, or does he look like he might have had a little help with lip fillers?
3 of 26Maria Fowler, series 1 - 3
Maria, on the left with Joey Essex and Chloe Sims in 2011, was in the show from the get-go but her TV career was rocked when it was alleged she'd worked as an escort. She's since said she quit 'by mutual consent' after she refused an on-screen romance with Mick Norcross.
4 of 26Maria Fowler, 2018
Maria's now a proud mummy, engaged to be married and a self-proclaimed permanent make-up artist.
5 of 26Dan Osborne, series 8 - 14
Dan Osborne, pictured here with James Argent in 2013, managed seven series on the show. He was given the boot after a series of recordings, claiming to show Dan being verbally abusive towards his ex-girlfriend Megan Tomlin, came to light.
6 of 26Dan Osborne, 2018
Dan is still in the spotlight due to his relationship with ex-EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa. In May 2018 he described their marriage as "unhappy".
7 of 26Amber Dowding, series 18 - 21
Amber was part of a mega cull of seven Towie characters in January 2018. She claimed that she and her boyfriend Chris Clark were cut because they were happy. They've now split and Chris has reappeared on the show.
8 of 26Amber Dowding, 2018
If Amber's social media is anything to go by, she now appears to mostly be on holiday. Pretty goals from where we're sitting.
9 of 26Mike Hassini, series 16 - 18 and 21
Mike Hassini brought a hot bod to Towie and...not much else. He was cut in January 2018 due to a lack of storylines as he was loved-up outside the telly show.
10 of 26Mike Hassini, 2018
Mike is working as a PT, still loved-up, and still has a very hot bod. He has subsequently appeared briefly in gym scenes on the show.
11 of 26Jack Rigden, series 20 - 21
Jack Rigden tried hard, so hard, to make an impression on Towie but his lack of on-screen romance and agg saw him get very little camera time. He was part of the big cull of January 2018.
12 of 26Jack Rigden, 2018
Jack's Instagram bio describes him as an "absolute geezer". Which is nice.
13 of 26Jordan Brook, series 20 - 21
Jordan and Jack were brought in as friends of Megan McKenna. When she quit, they were left without any storylines.
14 of 26Jordan Brooks, 2018
Jordan is now dating Sofia Filipe of Ex On The Beach fame. Aww.
15 of 26Ricky Rayment, series 4 - 14
We still think very fondly of Ricky. His rocky relationship with Jess Wright was a huge part of the show but when they finally broke up, well... Ricky left the show "by mutual agreement"with Towie bosses.
16 of 26Ricky Rayment, 2018
Ricky now seems to mainly go fishing.
17 of 26Tom Pearce, series 5 - 13
Remember when Tom Pearce dated Lauren Goodger following her split from Mark Wright? That was an odd time. He was quietly shown the back doorof the show in 2014.
18 of 26Tom Pearce, 2018
Honestly? We're not 100% sure what Tom is actually doing these days. He used to work in the City, and his holidays certainly look pretty epic, so maybe that.
19 of 26Grace Andrews, series 11 - 12
Grace almost had a romantic relationship with Lewis Bloor (shudder) and that was the beginning and end of her time on Towie.
20 of 26Grace Andrews, 2018
Grace is now involved in a semi-permanent make-up company. Those Towie stars must really hate cleanser.
21 of 26Fran Parman, series 11 - 16
Fran's original romantic interest was Tom Pearce but he stepped aside to allow Diags to woo her. Bad luck. Their relationship was turbulent but apparently not turbulent enough for show producers. Diags stayed, she went.
22 of 26Fran Parman, 2018
Fran and Diags split and she now hangs out in clothing that does not look very practical.
23 of 26Jasmin Walia, series 1 and 7-17
Jasmin managed eight series until she was given the boot. In 2015 her agent stated: "TOWIE is very storyline dependent and Jasmin did not have much going on that we could show on screen."Ouch. She went on to audition for The X Factor. It did not go well. She also took part in reality show Desi Rascals, that lasted for one series.
24 of 26Jasmin Walia, 2018
Jasmin is still being papped, which is more than can be said for some of the other ex-Towie stars.
25 of 26Jake Hall, series 14 - 17
Jake's time of TOWIE was mainly characterised by him being mean to our sweet Essex princess Chloe Lewis including many accusations of infidelity, plus rumours he'd slept with Megan McKenna.
26 of 26Jake Hall, 2018
Jake subsequently became engaged to former Real Housewives of Cheshire star Misse Beqiri. They have a baby together but in December 2018Jake was given a restraining order following a bust up with his fiancée.
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The source says, “Michelle’s really happy for Jess and is over the moon that she’s found a great guy, and she’d love to see her be a mum. It’s just that, deep down, she’s a bit upset, as she wanted to be the first one in the family to have a baby, given that she and Mark have been together for so much longer. However she doesn’t want to feel pressured into a baby race with Jess.
“When Jess told her she was more focused on falling pregnant than getting married, Michelle also expressed her concern about taking things too fast. But Jess insisted Will is ‘The One’, and she doesn’t see why they should wait.”
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Mark, host of The Bachelor UK, has opened up in the past about how competitive he and Michelle are in all aspects of their life, from work to sport.
And pals say the former Corrie actress – who’s been repeatedly forced to shut down pregnancy claims over the years, as well as facing speculation over the state of their marriage after spending months apart due to work – has decided next year could be the right time.
The insider adds, “Michelle’s incredibly ambitious. But hearing Jess talk about having a baby has made her realise she’s ready for it, too. She wants more of a balance, and has told Mark she’ll schedule some time off next year."