Having a baby later in life is becoming increasingly common, with both natural and surrogacy options growing in popularity. And now, 50-year-old supermodel Naomi Campbell has become the latest in a long line of older celebs to join the parenting club, sparking the debate about how old is too old to become a mum.
The increasing trend is a big change to previous generations, who stuck to more traditional approaches. In the 1920s, the most common ages to have babies were between 20 and 29, and that remained the same in until the ’80s, when working women started having babies later in life.
Naomi shared the news of her new daughter via Instagram on Tuesday though it’s unclear who the father is or whether she gave birth, hired a surrogate or adopted.
The model shared an adorable snap of her cradling the babies feet, captioning the post, “A beautiful little blessing has chosen me to be her mother. So honoured to have this gentle soul in my life, there are no words to describe the lifelong bond that I now share with you my angel. There is no greater love.”
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The surprise announcement has certainly gained attention, with the post receiving more than 840,000 likes and almost 25,000 comments just 12 hours after it was posted. Her mother Valerie Morris Campbell also shared the photo with a message of congratulations, writing, “I’m beyond thrilled, as I’ve waited a long time to be grandmother.”
Naomi has previously opened up about wanting children, and the fact there were many options available to older women thanks to advances in technology. “I think about having children all the time,” she told the Evening Standard in 2017. “But now with the way science is, I think I can do it when I want.”
A source exclusively told Page Six, “Naomi has been wanting to be a mother for a long time and it finally happened. She is the godmother to many friends’ and families’ kids and has always looked forward to the day of starting her own family.”
Naomi’s exciting news comes less than three months after Alec Baldwin, 62, and wife Hilaria, 37, welcomed their sixth child together, a baby girl named Lucia. The little girl was welcomed into the family less than six months after the birth of their son Eduardo ‘Edu’ Pao Lucas on September 8, 2020. It’s believed the pair welcomed Lucia via surrogate, despite previously telling People that they weren’t having any more children.
In 2018, at age 57, actor Eddie Murphy became a father for the 10th time with the birth of his son Max, who was welcomed on December 30 with his Aussie model fiancè Paige Butcher, 39. Murphy is now a recent father and grandfather, fathering the 10 kids —six daughters and four sons – over the past 30 years. Eddie has fathered the children to five different women since 1989, five with his former wife Nicole Mitchell and one each with exes Mel B, Tamara Hood Johnson and Paulette McNeely and two with current partner Paige.
He’s far from the only older male celeb to welcome children later in life, with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, 77, becoming a dad again when he and girlfriend Melanie Hamrick welcomed son Deveraux in December 2016. His first child was born in 1970, meaning Jagger now has eight children with ages ranging from 51 to 5.
Meanwhile, Jagger’s former bandmate Ronnie Wood, 73, and wife Sally, 43, also welcomed twin girls in May 2016, making Wood, who’s a grandfather of 10, a dad for the fifth time.
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