This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The Olympic diver Tom Daley and his husband, Dustin Lance Black, have become parents to a baby boy.



The couple announced the birth of Robert Ray in a brief statement printed in the Times newspaper on Saturday that read: “Black-Daley: On 27 June 2018 to Thomas Robert Daley and Dustin Lance Black, a son, Robert Ray.”

Tom Daley speaks out on anti-gay laws in Commonwealth nations after winning gold Read more

The couple shared photographs and messages on their Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Daley tweeted:

Tom Daley (@TomDaley1994) • 27/06/18 • Welcome to the world our precious little Robbie Ray Black-Daley ❤️ The amount of love and joy you have brought into our life is immeasurable, our precious little son ❤️👶🏼❤️ pic.twitter.com/J76KgBTRqs

When the couple revealed they were expecting a child through a surrogate in the US in February, Daley said he wanted to be as good a dad as his father, who was also called Robert and died in 2011.



Daley, the three-times world champion diver, spoke of how the prospect of fatherhood altered his mindset as he competed at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in April.

“It’s been such a crazy experience. It changes your outlook on life,” he said. “Even on a plane. I’m never scared of flying – and as soon as there was any turbulence I was like, ‘oh my God,’ because there’s more than my life I have to care about now. The fear of what might happen and the excitement. There’s so many emotions that come with being an expectant father.”

Daley and Black made their engagement public in 2015 with an announcement that said: “The engagement is announced between Tom, the son of Robert and Debra Daley of Plymouth, and Lance, son of Jeff Bisch of Philadelphia and Anne Bisch of Lake Providence.”

Daley met Black in 2013 and came out as gay later that year. They became engaged in October 2015 and were married last May.

Black, 44, is a film director and producer. He won an Oscar in 2009 for best original screenplay for Milk, a film based on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk.