Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Lisa Vanderpump’s extended family is growing.
On September 16, Lisa’s nephew Sam Vanderpump and his fiancée Alice Yaxley announced that they’re expecting their first child. The couple shared a photo of Alice’s sonogram on Instagram, alongside a picture of Sam kissing Alice’s baby belly. The baby is life-affirming news, especially following Sam’s brush with death last January.
“Life is full of surprises, but this is the best one yet,” Sam captioned the post. “I can’t put into words how happy and excited we are!”
Lisa Vanderpump’s nephew Sam Vanderpump is expecting a child
The Made in Chelsea stars admitted the pregnancy caught them completely off guard.
“It was definitely a surprise,” Alice told The Daily Mail. “I had missed a period, but I have polycystic ovaries, so it wasn’t a shock to have missed a period. But I did a test to be safe … I wasn’t expecting anything, but it was positive. It was a big shock!”
Because of her medical condition, Alice had previously thought she might not be able to have a child, so this baby is a very welcome surprise. In order to avoid any further surprises, Alice took a blood test to learn the sex of the baby.
“We are having a boy,” Sam confirmed. “We were terrified to tell Alice’s dad, but he was probably the happiest. I always knew my mum was dying to become a grandmother, and her reaction was so good.”
Sam’s dad, Mark Vanderpump, was Lisa’s only sibling. He passed away in 2018 from a fatal drug overdose. At the time, it was unclear whether it was accidental or intentional. Since her brother’s death, Lisa has done everything she can to support his two sons Sam and Jack.
“Since my dad passed away seven years ago, she really stepped up,” he said. “She has been there and became an amazing support network for me and my brother … Over the last year and a half, since Alice has been around, I have become even closer to my aunt because she gets on so well with Alice. She has invited Alice to stay with her in Vegas [and] in LA. She has invited Alice onto set with her. They get on so well. She has even nicknamed Alice, Ally.”
Now that they know it’s a boy, the couple have chosen an unusual name for their baby: Marmaduke. As Sam says, “My dad … always wanted to call my brother ‘Duke’ … He believed my brother would one day become Prime Minister, Duke Vanderpump. I really love the name … I think Marmaduke is fantastic, and we’ll call him ‘Duke’ for short.”
“There’s a great Downton Abbey scene where Maggie Smith and her daughter discuss a man named Marmaduke,” he added. “[That just] made us love [the name] even more.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is streaming on Peacock in the US and on Hayu in the UK and Ireland.
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