reality tv

Gogglebox's Matty and Sarah Marie are expecting another child. It comes following a miscarriage last year.

Content warning: This post includes discussion of pregnancy loss that may be distressing to some readers.

Late last year, Gogglebox Australia stars Matty and Sarah Marie Fahd announced they're pregnant.

The couple, who are fan favourites on the Logie-award-winning reality show alongside close friend Jad, shared the news on Instagram.

"Our family is growing! We're so excited to welcome a new Fahd to the family in 2023," they said alongside a post of their first-born child Malik holding up a sign saying 'Big Brother 2023'.

"Malik has already started prepping to be a big brother, reciting endless lists of the things he will be playing with his new sibling and writing up the 'Bulldogs for Dummies' playbook. Bane [our dog] was asked to participate in this photo but instead chose to piss on the front porch (thankfully out of shot)."

As they gear up to welcome their coming child into the world, Matty and Sarah have opened up about experiencing a miscarriage last year.

Watch: Tina Arena speaks to Mia Freedman about her miscarriage. Story continues below.


Video via Mamamia.
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Last May, Sarah said she discovered she was bleeding about six weeks into her second pregnancy. 

And while they were grieving that loss, Sarah said she was receiving well-meaning comments from fans on social media asking when they would be adding to their family.

"I actually just started telling people [online], 'I just had a miscarriage.' And that would shut them up. I thought, maybe if I said something, it might mean they'll avoid saying something similar to someone else [going through the same thing] – because those comments are not what you want to hear when you are losing a baby," Sarah said to Stellar this week.

"When you mention you have a miscarriage, a lot of people sweep it aside. They say, 'Oh, it's very common'. But that doesn't make it any better. When you see a positive pregnancy test, you get so excited. The miscarriage kind of ruins the pregnancy a little bit because ignorance is bliss. You know that things like this happen, but you don't think it will happen to you. And when it does, it changes things."

As they near the end of this pregnancy, Sarah and Matty said they are looking forward to having their son safely in their arms.

"I feel like there are so many feel-good [celebrity pregnancy] stories out there, and that can be really hard to read if you have just gone through a miscarriage," Sarah noted.

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Plenty of the Gogglebox Australia family have shared their well wishes following Sarah and Matty's pregnancy announcement, with Jad saying: "Congrats! The family is growing, the circus is selling out. It's going to be a wild ride and I can't wait. Ps: don't forget me x it's Jad."

Others who sent congratulations messages included Symon, Yvie, the Dalton family, plus Lee and Keith.

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Recently, the Fahd family celebrated Malik's third birthday fit with "two parties, three cakes, 30 kids and 40kg of Tabouli".

"There's so much love in the house," Matty said to The Latch about being a dad. 

"There's so much love for him that if every day I had to just take care of him it would be such a great thing to do. [With the first pregnancy] I was super protective of Sarah – making sure the pregnancy went as smoothly as possible."

As for preparing for a new baby, he explained that "every parent's journey is really different".

"You can prepare for it – which I absolutely recommend doing whatever you can when it comes to preparing the right things to buy for the baby – but in terms of trying to prepare your life and your lifestyle, you can't prepare for it because you don't know what type of child you're going to have and you don't know what type of experience Mum is going to have with breastfeeding and I just think everyone's journey is really different."

In November 2019, Malik was born. When announcing that pregnancy, Sarah wrote: "After three months of morning sickness (which I didn't realise actually lasts 24/7, not just in the morning), feeling sleepy all day and hormonal mood swings, I'm finally starting to feel more like myself.

"I know we are blessed to be pregnant and I pray for all of those out there that are trying to start a family. We can't wait to meet our baby boy."

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They are yet to publicly share the sex of their second child, signing off their post: "Play the circus music, warm up the cuddles & bring on 2023!"

Reflecting on their relationship (the pair have been married since 2018) Matty said he felt "blessed" to have found Sarah.

"How did fate bring us together against the odds? You were made me for me and I for you, and I'm grateful every day you're in my life," he wrote in celebration of her birthday.

Back in June 2022, Malik cut his hair to raise money for The Children's Tumour Foundation. He and his family managed to raise well over $11,000, bringing more awareness to children and families living with Neurofibromatosis.

Reflecting on the big move, Sarah said that "Malik's first haircut is a big milestone in his childhood" and an emotional moment for their whole family as it signifies he is growing up.

"It was important for us to use this milestone to teach Malik about the importance of helping others like his friend Ishq who was diagnosed with NF at just 12 months old. We are so proud of you Malik and love your new hair-do."

With over 170,000 followers on Instagram between Sarah and Matty, plus being on one of Australia's most-watched television programs, parenting in the public eye can come with its challenges.

As Sarah said to Mamamia recently: "Being open about your parenting style, in general, is hard, let alone in the public eye. It's actually scary. People judge you on what little they see not realising that it's such a small percentage of what the reality is. But at the same time, you have people who look up to you for the parenting life you do share that they are able to relate to. You don't even have to be in the 'public eye' to be parent shamed – am I right?!"

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She explained that one of the big 'lessons' she discovered was that negativity is something that can unfortunately come with the work they do. So it's better to rise above than let it get you down.

"We are all trying our best. I have come to realise that no matter what, someone will have something negative and nasty to say – so why not just be you and share whatever you can to help those that actually like what you're about and help them feel more supported."

If this has raised any issues for you or if you would like to speak with someone, please contact the Sands Australia 24-hour support line on 1300 072 637. 

You can download Never Forgotten: Stories of love, loss and healing after miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal death for free here.

This article was originally published on December 18, 2022 and has been updated with new information.

Feature Image: Network 10 / Instagram @sarahmariefahd and @matty_ef.