Ed Sheeran & Cherry Seaborn Welcome Their First Child, Lyra

Congratulations are in order for Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn! Sheeran has many strings to his bow – singer, songwriter, Grammy winner, MBE – but now he can add one more accolade: father. Sheeran took to social media this morning (Sept. 1) to confirm to fans that he and Cherry have become parents for the first time.

Whilst the singer-songwriter is notoriously protective of his private life, Sheeran announced the news on Instagram after a long break from the platform (he took a break in December last year) sharing an image of a little pair of socks in a cot with a blanket. The "Thinking Out Loud" singer said he is “on cloud nine” after he and his wife welcomed a baby girl last week, and that “both mum and baby are doing amazing.”

“Ello! A quick message from me as I have some personal news that I wanted to share with you…,” he wrote. “Last week, with the help of an amazing delivery team, Cherry gave birth to our beautiful and healthy daughter - Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran. We are completely in love with her.

“Both mum and baby are doing amazing and we are on cloud nine over here,” he added. “We hope that you can respect our privacy at this time. Lots of love and I’ll see you when it’s time to come back, Ed x”

Sheeran also revealed the name for their newborn bundle of joy in his post: Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran. The beautifully unique name appears to have musical roots, as the name Lyra traditionally comes from ‘Lyre’, meaning ‘Harp’ in Latin. There is also some speculation that the name Lyra was inspired by Sheeran's favourite book series, His Dark Materials, which his affection for which he has made public before.

The baby's second name, Antartica, also appears to have an important meaning behind it. Fans and media outlets have theorised that the geographical name could have something to do with a trip Sheeran and Seaborn took to the icy continent last year. Nine months ago, in fact...

The news comes just three weeks after rumours began circulating that the couple were expecting their first child together as Sheeran and Seaborn decided to keep news away from the spotlight for most of the pregnancy.