“Actress Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell Announce Birth of First Child via Surrogate”

Lily Collins has become a first-time mother after welcoming a child via surrogacy, she announced on Friday.

The Emily In Paris star shared an adorable baby photo to her official Instagram account in a shared post with Charlie McDowell.

Collins shared on Instagram a heartfelt message welcoming Tove Jane McDowell into their world. He expressed deep gratitude for their amazing surrogate and everyone who supported them during this journey. The couple’s love for their new addition knows no bounds.

Emily In Paris actress, Lily, and filmmaker, McDowell, exchanged vows in a private ceremony in Colorado in September 2021. The intimate event was graced by their well-known parents.

Lily is the offspring of acclaimed musician Phil Collins and his former spouse, Jill Tavelman. On the other hand, Charlie is the son of actors Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen. Although McDowell and Steenburgen parted ways in 1990, she is now married to Ted Danson, who has become Charlie’s stepfather.

Lily’s photo showed baby Tove lying on her back in a small soft fleece convertible bassinet while wearing a beige onesie and a cute gray knit cap decorated with floral designs.

Lily Collins has become a first-time mother after welcoming a child via surrogacy , she announced on Friday 

Collins shares the baby girl, named Tove Jane McDowell, with her husband, filmmaker Charlie McDowell; pictured together in February 2024 in London

She had what looked like a white knit blanket laid out next to her with her first name stitched in elegant gold letters.

Someone — possibly her mom — rested a hand gently over her chest for some close contact.

According to TMZ, Lily and Charlie’s surrogate gave birth to Tove earlier this week in Northern California.

Charlie’s mother and stepfather, Mary and Ted, were reportedly seen visiting the baby in the hospital shortly after her birth. 

Sources added that Lily and Charlie were full of love and gratitude after welcoming their first child. 

The lovebirds managed to keep their surrogacy plans completely under the radar until after Tove was born.

However, they haven’t held back about their desire to expand their family.

In October, Charlie told E! News that he and Lily wanted to have a child.

According to TMZ, Lily and Charlie’s surrogate gave birth to Tove earlier this week in Northern California; pictured together in October in London

Charlie’s latest film is The Summer Book, based on the novel by Tove Jansson, which may indicate the inspiration for their daughter’s first name. The Finnish novelist and illustrator is known for her literary fiction and beloved Moomin novels; seen with Moomin figures in 1956

Lily and Charlie met in 2019, when she was cast in his planned film Gilded Rage, which never came to fruition. They went Instagram official later that year with a photo snapped in Paris; seen in Paris in September

‘We would like to move into that next stage, so we’ll see when it happens!’ he gushed at the time. 

He made the comments at the AFI Fest premiere of his most recent directorial effort, the The Summer Book, while Lily served as an executive producer on.

The film — which stars Glenn Close and The Worst Person In The World actor Anders Danielsen Lie — may provide a clue as to how Lily and Charlie settled on their baby girl’s first name.

The film is based on the 1972 novel of the same name by Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, who died in 2001 at 86.

Jansson is now highly regarded for her literary fiction, including several novels and collections of short stories, but she was best known for decades for her beloved series of children’s novels in the Moomin series, which featured her distinctive illustrations. 

In 2023, Lily co-hosted a podcast exploring Jansson’s Moomin series.

‘I first discovered Tove Jansson’s series as a child and all of her characters still resonate so strongly with me as an adult,’ she wrote on Instagram at the time. ‘There’s so much to learn through Tove’s writing about equality, respect for nature, and how to break out of your comfort zone for an adventure. I try to bring all these themes into my daily life and am honored to be part of bringing these inspiring, loveable trolls to the US for the first time for new audiences to enjoy!’

Lily and Charlie met back in 2019, after she was announced as one of the stars of his planned film Gilded Rage. That project appears to have fallen apart, but it did result in a new romance.

By late 2019, their relationship was so strong that they adopted a rescue dog together named Redford

They celebrated their engagement in September of that year. Lily posted a sweet photo of the two kissing as she flashed her ring against a gorgeous landscape in New Mexico

‘It was one of those situations where I knew the second I met him that I wanted to be his wife one day. So, it was just a matter of when, really,’ Lily shared on Live With Kelly And Ryan.

Later that year, the couple made their relationship Instagram official with a photo snapped in Paris, possibly while Lily was filming Emily In Paris.

The couple had a better time collaborating on his third feature, the 2022 crime thriller Windfall, which Lily starred in with Jason Segel and Jesse Plemons.

She later confirmed that Charlie would visit her on the set of the hit Netflix series as their romance blossomed.

By late 2019, their relationship was so strong that they adopted a rescue dog together named Redford.

In early 2020, the couple began making their first public appearances together, and they celebrated their engagement in September of that year.

Lily posted a sweet photo of the two kissing as she flashed her ring against a gorgeous landscape in New Mexico.