Girls Aloud singer Nicola Roberts announced that she was expecting her first child, sharing the news with fans in a festive Instagram post dated December 26. The singer revealed that she was five months pregnant and that she and her partner, former footballer Mitch Hahn, were looking forward to welcoming their baby in the spring.
In her Instagram announcement, Nicola Roberts first explained that Christmas Day had been especially emotional for the couple. She described the moment as “magical” and emphasized how meaningful it was to reveal what she called their “most precious news” after keeping the pregnancy private for months.
“Mitch and I have had the most magical Christmas Day sharing the most precious news with our families. We’ve been keeping a secret. We are five months pregnant! We can’t wait to meet our little one in the spring,” Nicola Roberts wrote in the post.
In the same Instagram post, Nicola Roberts appeared visibly pregnant as she cradled her baby bump in a series of photos taken in front of a decorated Christmas tree. According to the Daily Mail, Roberts and Hahn became engaged approximately one year earlier during a romantic trip to the south of France.
Nicola Roberts makes her West End debut as Persephone in Hadestown
According to a WhatsOnStage report dated October 2, the West End production of Hadestown marked a special milestone the night before as it welcomed Nicola Roberts to the cast. The Girls Aloud singer officially joined the production at the Lyric Theatre, taking over the coveted role of Persephone.
The moment carried added significance for Roberts, who previously appeared in City of Angels at the Garrick Theatre in 2020.
That production, however, never reached its official opening night due to the global pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, making her arrival in Hadestown a particularly meaningful return to the West End stage.
In a video uploaded on October 2 to WhatsOnStage’s YouTube channel, Roberts spoke with interviewer Tom Hayden Millard about her experience joining the acclaimed musical.
She first explained that she had not always considered herself a traditional West End performer, but said being invited to watch Hadestown changed her perspective entirely.
“I’m not typically like a West End lover. When the team approached me I obviously had to come and see the show and I was genuinely blown away. I thought the cast was so talented and it was, you know, it just felt like it would be a privilege to join this group of people and be part of this most amazing production. And so, here I am,” she said.
Roberts also discussed what drew her to the character of Persephone, explaining that the role’s imperfections were what made it appealing.
She noted that Persephone’s messiness and constant drunkenness allowed her to let go of the pressure to appear polished on stage, giving her the freedom to be more expressive and unrestrained in her performance.
“I think the best part is that she’s quite sloppy. She’s obviously drunk for most of the time, so all of the imperfections are sort of what make the role. And it means that I can kind of step out of myself a little bit from being presentable all the time on stage…her character comes to life (and is) sort of messier than I am, which is quite nice to be honest,” she explained.
She went on to reflect on how performing in musical theatre felt more intimidating than performing as herself with Girls Aloud.
“It’s more daunting to play a character for sure. I mean, when we’re on stage with Girls Aloud, obviously we’re in big spaces and very noisy fans that love to sing along and just are there to celebrate,” Nicola Roberts said.
Roberts added that adapting to theatre audiences had been an adjustment, noting that they were “completely different” and offered far less interaction than pop crowds.
Still, she described the experience as “another string” to her “bow” and said she was enjoying the challenge of working within that quieter, more focused environment.
According to a WhatsOnStage report, Nicola Roberts’s run as Persephone is scheduled from September 16, 2025, through January 18, 2026.
Edited by Shayari Roy
