Australian Olympic golden girl Ariarne Titmus has today revealed her and fiancé Mac Powell are expecting their first child.
The couple unveiling their “baby news” of “Our Little Love” on Instagram declaring “we are beyond grateful to be blessed with the greatest gift of all…we love you so much, little one.”
The four-time Olympic gold medallist sharing an ultrasound image of her pregnancy saying: “We know it’s not always the easiest journey to parenthood and it is something we are conscious of. All of our love to those who are in the thick of fertility struggles, our hearts go out to you x.”
Her Instagram account has been deluged with some 40,000 likes and counting with congratulatory posts and best wishes with Olympic team mates and training partners Brianna Throssell and Shayna Jack among the first.
After retiring last October, Titmus and Powell announced their engagement in September, the Tokyo and Paris swimming queen recently unveiling her autobiography Relentless while launching her television career at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Titmus retired from swimming after the Paris Olympics where she won a third individual Olympic gold in the 400m freestyle against fellow superstars Summer McIntosh and Katie Ledecky.
In the lead-up to Paris, Titmus was “rocked” by health issues, and needed surgery to remove an ovarian tumour, that she said forced her to take a close look at life after swimming.
She said it was a turning point after she had been affected mentally by the health challenge and it was the first time where she considered life outside of swimming, saying “I really had to look within and think about what’s most important to me.
“Beyond swimming I’ve always had goals in my personal life, but swimming has always been most important up until this point.
“I’ve just realised that those goals and what I want in my future is more important to me.
“But more than anything I’m excited for what’s next. I have this opportunity to really delve into life and other things that I am wanting to chase.”