JACK Whitehall’s parents have praised him and girlfriend Roxy Horner for their parenting style.
The comedian and model welcomed their first child, daughter Elsie, back in September last year.
Following the birth, the proud parents were seen leaving the exclusive Lindo Wing at St Mary’s in London with their newborn daughter.
Jack, 35, and Roxy, 32, look to be the perfect family unit in the occasional glimpses they’ve given fans into their home life, and now his mum Hilary, 62, has confirmed that’s the case.
Speaking to The Sun on behalf of easyJet Holidays, she said: “I think Jack and Roxy definitely saw Molly [Jack’s sister] with one baby and having another baby and thought, ‘oh, maybe we should be getting on with it’.
“Particularly as Jack is older than Molly. I think he thought slightly being left behind here, we need to crack on.
“But they’ve taken to it amazingly. Jack and Roxy are amazing parents, much more patient than I ever was. There’s a lot of singing, a lot of dancing.
“They’ve just been on holiday as well. I think there was some beach work, eating sand, all of that.”
Jack and Roxy met while Jack was on a trip to Australia in 2020 and they ended up isolating together in London during the coronavirus pandemic.
The following year Roxy was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and she has since called Jack her “rock” for helping her deal with the diagnosis.
Essex-born Roxy has modelled for a number of known brands, including Boohoo, Superdry and Boux Avenue.
The couple announced they were expecting their first child on Instagram in May 2023, sharing a black and white snap of their scan pictures.
This September the family will appear in Fatherhood with my Father, which focuses on Jack and his dad Michael’s relationship as well as the impending birth.
Michael, 84, said: “I think we’ll try and squeeze as much toothpaste from the tube on that one. I mean, on the fatherhood thing, there was travelling was involved.
“So the fatherhood series is sort of like Travels with my Father, except it’s a little bit more themed and more focused on sort of documentary and imparting information as well. And Netflix seemed very pleased about it.
“So I wouldn’t be surprised if we might have our arms twisted to do a second series of it, but we’ll wait and see what happens to the first one.”
Michael’s built up a somewhat fearsome reputation as a talent agent in a former life and his stern, no-nonsense demeanour followed him into his own television career.
But in the family home, Hilary revealed her husband has a softer side and the nickname ‘Grandpa Chocolate’.
She said: “He’s an old softie with the grandchildren. Oh my God, they’ve got him wrapped around their little fingers.
“One big grin and a sort of giggle and he’s putty in their hands. I kept saying, where is this ruthless man that everybody knows from the travel series? Not when the grandchildren are concerned.”
While he might be mellow with the grandkids, Michael is anything but when it comes to bad beach etiquette.
This summer, he and Hilary have become Beach Rangers to tackle ‘beach botherers’.
Alarmingly, 94 percent of 2,000 Brits polled reported having their beach relaxation ruined by poor beach etiquette in the past, whether it’s from loud portable speakers, intrusive drones, stag parties or vain social media poseurs.
Michael said: “Nothing spoils a holiday faster than bad beach etiquette. Whether it’s shaking sand from towels everywhere or treating the beach like their own private nightclub, we’ve seen these issues all over the world.
“It’s time to put a stop to them. As Beach Rangers, Hilary and I are here to educate tourists on the common courtesies and basic do’s and don’ts of beach etiquette to ensure everyone enjoys a great beach holiday this summer. And remember, don’t feed the seagulls. It never ends well.”
