Former TOWIE star Tom Pearce has announced the arrival of his first child, a baby daughter, with his wife. The 35-year-old, who rose to fame on the ITV reality show as a friend of Joey Essex in 2012 before departing in 2014 to relocate to Dubai, shared heartwarming photos on Friday introducing his newborn and revealing her name.
Baby Arrival and Name Reveal
In a series of Instagram posts, Tom posed alongside his wife as she cradled their newborn daughter, Ariella Lua. He captioned the images: 'Welcome to the world, Ariella Lua Pearce… you have our hearts. Couldn’t be more proud of my lovely wife for growing our beautiful girl. 22/04/2026.' Another photo showed his wife, whose name has not been disclosed, lying in a hospital bed surrounded by pink balloons.
Congratulatory Messages from Co-Stars
The announcement was met with an outpouring of congratulations from Tom's former TOWIE co-stars, including Ferne McCann, Diags, James Lock, and Chloe Simms.
Tom relocated to Dubai in 2014 to pursue a career as an equity broker. During his time on TOWIE, he was best known for his brief on-off fling with Lucy Mecklenburgh, which began as a friends-with-benefits arrangement after her split from Mario Falcone. The relationship ended when Lucy decided she did not want another serious commitment. Prior to Lucy, Tom had dalliances with fellow TOWIE cast members Lauren Pope, Abi Clarke, Fran Parman, and Grace Andrews.
Previous Engagement and Split
In 2022, Tom announced his engagement to then-partner Rebecca Walker following a romantic proposal in Bali. However, by 2025, it was confirmed that the couple had 'quietly split' the previous year. A source told the media at the time: 'They quietly split last year. It's really sad as they were very loved-up and he did this big proposal in Bali, but unfortunately things didn't work out. Tom keeps a low profile these days, and has moved on from his time on TOWIE, so he didn't want to put a big announcement out there.' The source added: 'He lives out in Dubai these days and is concentrating on his work.'
Tom first shared his engagement to Rebecca in 2022 with Instagram snaps of the Bali proposal, including a photo of the moment he got down on one knee as she reacted with shock and happiness. He captioned the post: 'The girl said yes!' along with a ring emoji.
