Former England goalkeeper Mary Earps has revealed the name of her first child after announcing that she and her partner, Kitty Forrest, have welcomed a baby boy.
The 33-year-old football star shared the news on Instagram, introducing her newborn son as Xander with a photograph showing his tiny hand.
The announcement came days after Earps disclosed that she had become a mother for the first time, revealing that Forrest had given birth to their son.
Earps Shares Emotional Announcement With Fans
In a video posted on Friday, Earps explained that she had been keeping the pregnancy and birth news private before deciding to share the special moment with her followers.
“I’ve been keeping a little secret from you all. And I don’t think I can talk my way out of this one. So, I think I’m going to have to show you,” she said.
She went on to announce that she and Forrest had welcomed their son the previous day.
“I can’t quite believe I’m writing this, but yesterday Kitty and I welcomed our beautiful baby boy into the world!
“We’re absolutely over the moon and still trying to take it all in.
It’s been such an emotional journey getting to this point, and we couldn’t be more excited to start this next chapter of our lives as a family of three.”
Football Commitments Complicate Earps’ Return
Despite the arrival of her first child, Earps admitted that her professional football commitments remain on her mind as she considers the demands of motherhood alongside her career.
The goalkeeper explained that taking maternity leave in football presents particular challenges because of the demands of training schedules and match fixtures.
She said she was already thinking about football, describing the situation as unusual compared with other professions where employees can take maternity leave without having to consider an ongoing competition schedule.
“In any other job, you would just be like, ‘Okay, bye. Taking maternity leave, whatever. Um, and you just do what you need to do.’
But that doesn’t really work in football, because you’ve got games and then, if you take the day off, then you got to think about what that looks like and how that works into sort of your training schedule and the fixture calendar,” she explained.
Earps added that footballers could not simply take time away whenever they wanted without consequences for their professional commitments.
The goalkeeper currently plays for London City Lionesses, who are third in the Women’s Super League after eight matches, behind Chelsea and Manchester City.
Earps Previously Opened Up About Relationship With Kitty
Earps publicly confirmed that she was in a same-sex relationship in September last year, although she had largely kept Forrest away from public attention.
Forrest is a physiotherapist who previously worked as the lead in her department at Manchester United Women, where Earps also played.
When discussing her decision to reveal the relationship, Earps explained that she had traditionally preferred to keep her private life separate from her professional career.
However, she felt it was important to acknowledge the relationship in her autobiography.
“I’ve always tried to keep my personal life separate from my professional one, but it would have felt inauthentic not to include something so important to me in this book. I’m in a really happy relationship,” she said.
She added that the people closest to her had always known about the relationship and that she was now comfortable sharing it publicly.
Former England No 1 Retired After Dispute Over Hampton
Earps was one of the standout performers in England’s successful Euro 2022 campaign, playing a key role in the Lionesses’ triumph at Wembley Stadium.
She also featured prominently at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, where she saved a penalty during the final against Spain.
Her performances earned her the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2023.
However, her time with the national team ended in May last year following tensions surrounding the England goalkeeping position.
Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton had overtaken Earps to become England’s first-choice goalkeeper after returning to the squad.
In her autobiography, Earps discussed the situation and revealed that she had told England manager Sarina Wiegman that “bad behaviour was being rewarded” following Hampton’s recall.
The goalkeeper subsequently retired from international football in acrimonious circumstances.
After leaving England duty, Earps moved to France to join Paris Saint-Germain before returning to England earlier this year.
She now plays for London City Lionesses while beginning a new chapter of her personal life with Forrest and their newborn son, Xander.
