Current:Home > FinanceMaria Menounos and Husband Keven Undergaro Welcome First Baby via Surrogate -EquityZone
Maria Menounos and Husband Keven Undergaro Welcome First Baby via Surrogate
View
Date:2025-04-13 01:48:14
Maria Menounos and her new family of three are better together.
The TV host and husband Keven Undergaro shared that they welcomed their first child together, a baby girl named Athena Alexandra, via surrogate on June 23.
"It was the most special moment of my life," Maria told Us Weekly July 19. "The doctor literally grabbed her and hiked her onto me. I sat with her on my chest, and Keven and I kept looking at each other like, 'Oh, my God.' It was just pure joy."
Their sweet news comes five months after the couple—who tied the knot in 2017—announced they were expecting their first child together via surrogate.
"We are so grateful to everyone who helped make this beautiful blessing happen," the Better Together author told E! News in a Feb. 7 statement. "I am so excited to be a mom and Keven is so excited to be a dad! And my dad is over the moon to be a papou."
At the time, Maria also gave a nod to her late mom, Litsa Menounos, who passed away in May 2021 after a battle with brain cancer.
"I know my mom had a cup of greek coffee with god and said it's time," she captioned an Instagram post, in part, alongside a clip of her sharing her baby news. "So grateful for the blessing in our lives. Cant believe I'm sharing this news without her in the physical , but I know she made it happen on the other side and is going to be with me every step of the way. Thank you all for your love! We are just so grateful!"
Back in April the couple shared the sex of their baby, with Maria noting on her Heal Squad x Maria Menounos podcast, "We're very excited to announce we have a baby girl coming."
She also revealed that she and Keven, 55, have their baby's name chosen—but added that they're keeping it under wraps for now.
"We've been thinking about names for years, because as you may or may not know, this has been almost a 10-year journey for us," Maria explained. "We've thought about names forever, and I think we've come up with the perfect name for this baby."
However, over the past almost-decade it hasn't been an easy journey, as Maria has been vocal about various health scares along the way. This includes a private battle with Stage 2 pancreatic cancer earlier this year, which required undergoing surgery to remove a 3.9-inch tumor along with part of her pancreas, her spleen, a large fibroid and 17 lymph nodes.
"This whole year has been trauma, stress, crisis," she told People May 3. "I had that moment where I thought I was a goner—but I'm okay because I caught this early enough."
The former E! News correspondent, who previously had a benign brain tumor removed in 2017, pointed out the painful timing of her diagnosis.
"I'm like 'How in the freaking world can I have a brain tumor and pancreatic cancer?'" Maria said. "All I could think was that I have a baby coming."
But throughout it all, she's had her husband and dad Constantinos to lean on.
"I'm so grateful and so lucky," Maria expressed. "God granted me a miracle. I'm going to appreciate having her in my life so much more than I would have before this journey."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (87)
Related
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Biden says order must prevail on college campuses, but National Guard should not intervene in protests
- Man arrested in fatal shooting of Chicago police officer who was heading home from work
- China highway collapse sends cars plunging, leaving at least 48 dead, dozens injured
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- US jobs report for April will likely point to a slower but still-strong pace of hiring
- Ohio babysitter charged with murder in death of 3-year-old given fatal dose of Benadryl
- Alabama lawmakers vote to create new high school focused on healthcare, science
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- Walmart ground beef recalled for potential E. Coli contamination, 16,000 pounds affected
Ranking
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Pregnant Francesca Farago Shares Baby Names She Loves—And Its Unlike Anything You've Heard
- The first wrongful-death trial in Travis Scott concert deaths has been delayed
- Kentucky judge declines, for now, to lift ban on executions
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- 'My goal is to ruin the logo': Tiger Woods discusses new clothing line on NBC's Today Show
- Don't just track your steps. Here are 4 health metrics to monitor on your smartwatch, according to doctors.
- 'My goal is to ruin the logo': Tiger Woods discusses new clothing line on NBC's Today Show
Recommendation
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
Dentist accused of killing wife tried to plant letters suggesting she was suicidal, police say
Lifetime premieres trailer for Nicole Brown Simpson doc: Watch
IRS says its number of audits is about to surge. Here's who the agency is targeting.
Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
Authorities arrest man suspected of fatally shooting 1 person, wounding 2 others in northern Arizona
Billie Jean King is getting the Breakfast of Champions treatment. She’ll appear on a Wheaties box
Ground beef tested negative for bird flu, USDA says