Rupert Grint & Girlfriend Welcome Baby Girl, Ask For Privacy As They Settle In As A Family

Rupert Grint is a new father. The Harry Potter star confirmed that his girlfriend Georgia Groome had given birth to a baby girl on Thursday, the Daily Star reports.

In the statement, the couple asked for privacy as they begin their new lives as parents. There was no mention of the child’s name.

“Rupert Grint and Georgia Groome are delighted to confirm the birth of their baby girl. We would please ask that you respect their privacy at this very special time,” the couple’s publicist said in the statement.

Grint, who is now 31, announced that he and Groome, 28, were expecting their first child last month. That statement also requested privacy, but did not specify how far along Groome was in her pregnancy.

Following the announcement of the pregnancy, the two were seen shopping amid the lockdown and Groome’s baby bump was on display. She and Grint have been dating for nine years.

Grint is still best known for playing Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter series, which wrapped in 2011. Since finishing the franchise, he has starred in projects like Snatch, Sick Note, and Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders.

He is the first central performer in the Harry Potter series to become a parent. In an interview with The Guardian, Grint discussed the possibility of parenthood and explained how he felt about turning 30.

“I’m just going to go with the flow, keep playing interesting characters and see what happens. I’d like to settle down and have kids soon. If I had a son, would I call him Ron? It’s quite a good name, but probably not. And Grint’s a tough name to pair a one-syllable first name with,” he said in the interview.

He also mentioned that — even as he got older — he didn’t necessarily feel like he had changed in the ways he expected to. The actor explained his life followed a clear before and after, with the dividing point being him landing the role of Ron Weasley.

Grint stated that moving on from the franchise was difficult, because he felt there was such an overlap between who Ron was and who he was. He said that stepping out of the role felt like stepping out of an institution, saying that it was nice to “breathe the fresh air.”

The actor acknowledged that — while he had enjoyed doing the films — he also felt immense pressure in the role because of how hugely popular the movies were.