Does Caitriona Balfe have children?
Yes, Balfe is a mom! On Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021 the then 41-year-old Outlander star took to Instagram to reveal that she and husband Anthony “Tony” McGill had welcomed their first child, a boy. “I’ve been off socials for a while as I was taking some time to enjoy cooking up this little human…” she wrote alongside a black-and-white photo of the newborn’s tiny hand clenched around one of her fingers in her first post since July 20. (She chose not to reveal her son’s name.) “We are so grateful for this little soul… that he chose us as his parents.” She added, “I’m in awe of him already and can’t help stare and wonder at all the possibilities of who he will become, where he will go and what he’ll do on the big adventure of his life.” Balfe also encouraged her 1.7 million followers to celebrate her little one’s arrival by making a gift to a charity that supports children “who are born into famine or war.” As she explained, “Here in the west we have so much, we are so lucky and so if you’d like to join me in supporting any of the wonderful charities that need help trying to give those that are forgotten dignity and hope, we can give the gift of peace and safety and opportunity to a few more children.” Her charitable suggestions included UNICEF, World Child Cancer, the UN Refugee Agency and Choose Love.
How did Balfe’s Outlander co-stars react to the news?
Balfe’s onscreen love interest, Outlander star Sam Heughan, commented on her post later that day by writing, “Congrats you two (3!!!). Wonderful sentiment." He also added a string of praise-hands and heart-eyes emojis. Not surprisingly, Balfe received congrats from several other Outlander co-stars as well. Graham McTavish wrote in a comment, “Congratulations, Cait. Wonderful stuff! I know you may be tempted to name him Dougal but you must resist!!!! All the best to you, Tony, and your splendid wee man!” (Dougal was the name of McTavish’s Outlander alter ego in Seasons 1 and 2.) Meanwhile, Sophie Skelton—who’s played Balfe’s character’s daughter, Brianna “Bree” Randall, since Season 2 of Outlander—responded with a lengthy string of baby-bottle and heart emojis, while Cesar Domboy (a.k.a. Outlander’s Fergus Claudel Fraser), reacted to the huge news with several hearts emojis as well. Much like Balfe’s low-key pregnancy, she and McGill had similarly tied the knot on the down-low when they wed at St. Mary’s Church in Bruton, Somerset, in the United Kingdom in 2019—although Heughan dropped a major hint about their nuptials when he shared a post on Instagram that showed him wearing what could be wedding attire while commenting, “Remarkable weekend.” Given how much maternal instinct Balfe has exuded on Outlander as nurse Claire Fraser—who not only gave birth to Bree, but also cared for an abandoned baby in Season 5—it’s probably no wonder to her fans that she and the 45-year-old McGill chose to start their own family in real life. In fact, Outlander’s rabid fan base couldn’t help wondering if Balfe was pregnant back in 2019 when she sported a slight curve to her stomach while posing alongside Heughan and fellow Starz star 50 Cent at a network event. She ultimately responded to the gossip by tweeting, “I’m not pregnant, just having my period and was bloated…,” adding the humorous hashtag, “#NotAllStomachsAreWashboards.” Still, Balfe has hinted in interviews that balancing her hit show with a fulfilling family life was always in the cards. “I just want to be happy in my life. I want to stay sane. I’m very lucky that I have a job that I love," she said after tying the knot. “It’s very important that your career can’t be your only thing. So I feel like I’ve also found someone who makes me very happy. As long as I can keep those two things going well, then I’ll be good.” Next, could Sam Heughan be the next Outlander star to start a family? Here’s what we know about his love life!
