Big Brother sweethearts Elsa Rae and Marcus John are officially parents after welcoming their first baby. The couple met almost exactly a year ago when they took part in series 22 of ITV’s social experiment, which was won by Richard Storry, who, at age 60, became the oldest winner in BB civilian history.
Runner-up romance
Elsa, 22, finished runner-up, and her blossoming romance with fellow housemate Marcus kept viewers entertained – the pair even confessed their love for one another before the season ended. Defying expectations – and tradition, since we all know reality couples don’t always go the distance – they’ve stayed together.
In March, they announced Elsa’s pregnancy, with host AJ Odudu offering her congratulations. This weekend, the reality TV personalities confirmed their baby boy had been born, sharing a series of snaps taken in hospital.
Baby Marley arrives
Revealing his name, they captioned their joint Instagram post: ‘Marley Isaac Mark John – Born on 02.10.26, our greatest creation’. The sweet pics showed the mum and dad doting on Marley (who already has an impressive head of brown hair) and cradling him in a blue blanket and woolly hat shortly after his arrival. A note placed on top of him also said he was born at 1.33pm and weighed 9lb 11oz.
Big Brother castmates were quick to congratulate Elsa and Marcus, including last year’s Celebrity Big Brother contestant JoJo Siwa, who commented: ‘Omg!!! Congratulations 🤍’ ‘Congratulations guys! Xx’, wrote Amy Hart. Ex-housemate Emily Hewertson commented, ‘Incredible !! Congratulations 🥺❤️❤️❤️’, while Zelah Glasson said, ‘Awww guys congratulations and welcome Marley🥹🫶🏽💕’
Life after the House
Speaking after leaving the Big Brother House last year, Elsa lifted the lid on her new relationship, telling Heatworld: ‘We sort of have been together like literally every day since getting out. He’s going to meet my family on the weekend. So I think things will move slowly and quickly. But I think it will be more natural outside, less intense.’ She added optimistically: ‘I think it will just play into when it’s meant to be. But it’s definitely going to be forever, so yeah.’
Elsa and Marcus’s chemistry in the House was undeniable, with him sharing in the Diary Room: ‘Things with Elsa couldn’t be any better. I think she just knows that I’ve got a lot of love for her.’ On dropping the L-bomb, he added: ‘And I was reluctant to use that word, but that’s where we are at – that’s where I’m at, anyway.’
Just days after the series finale, mechanical engineer Marcus asked influencer Elsa to be his girlfriend in bold, romantic fashion. Against all ‘showmance’ allegations, he decorated a hotel room with red balloons, one of which had ‘Will you be my girlfriend?’ written on.
Then, merely four months later, Elsa revealed her pregnancy, writing on social media alongside a snap of her scan: ‘we’ve been keeping a little secret…our bubba due October 2026! we are so very excited 🤍🍼xx’
The content creator documented her pregnancy online, often sharing selfies of her growing bump in glam outfits. And in May, engagement rumours were rife when Elsa shared a post showcasing a diamond jewel on her ring finger. ‘The most special ring, on the most special day, we have come so far 💍🩵’, she captioned it. In August, they held a baby shower, which was attended by several fellow housemates.
