Ricky Champ and his wife Sammy have announced the arrival of their second child, a baby boy, along with his adorable name.
The EastEnders star, 42, who portrays Stuart Highway in the hit BBC One soap, and Sammy, 34, welcomed their first son at 4.50pm on 23 June – two weeks earlier than planned.
Sammy and Ricky, who are also parents to four year old daughter Beatrix, exclusively told OK! about their son's early arrival via C-section and then revealed that they have decided to name him River, with the actor describing the moniker as "cool" and "a bit hippie".
Let's take a look into what the unique name means…
According to babynames.com, River is of English origin and means 'stream of water that flows to the sea' or 'flowing body of water'.
It is used for both boys and girls and has risen in popularity over recent years, with the same website claiming it is number seven on the Baby Names Popularity Charts.
Ricky revealed that it was a name that had stood out as it "felt right" but it was actually their daughter Beatrix who ultimately swayed his and Sammy's decision.
Chatting about the inspiration behind the name choice, the doting dad-of-two told OK!: "River felt right. We didn’t go through a book of baby names – we’ve always prided ourselves on our naming skills. I mean, we have two cats called Bruce Willis and Patricia Mayonnaise.
"That says it all really. We told Beatrix about the name River and she started calling him that to Sammy’s tummy, so we were kind of locked in. But we love it – it’s cool and a bit hippie."
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Sammy, who previously worked as a visual merchandiser at high street store H&M, added: "We had a list of names we liked, but River was always at the top. I love the Joni Mitchell song River so that was where the idea came from. His middle name is Leo, which is Ricky’s mother’s maiden name."
The couple, who tied the knot in 2016, went on to reveal that their baby son looks just like Beatrix and that she's taken on her new role as a big sister well.
"I actually think he looks a lot like Bea. He’s got that hint of red hair like Sammy and Bea, and a bit of the Champ chin," Ricky revealed.
Mum-of-two Sammy went on to add: "He looks so much like Bea, it’s all I can see when I look at him. I’m transported back in time to when she was born."
Praising their daughter, Sammy said life as a family-of-four has so far been "wonderful" while Ricky said: "It definitely is a different dynamic and we’re most aware of that for Beatrix, because the biggest change is for her.
"She’s had our undivided attention for nearly five years and all of a sudden, she’s got to share it. But she’s been wonderful."
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