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NEED TO KNOW
- Fantastic Four: The First Steps actress Vanessa Kirby’s longtime partner Paul Rabil took to social media to reveal that she had given birth to their first child
- Rabil shared the “enormous love” that he and Kirby share for their newborn in his Instagram carousel post which also featured shots of Kirby with the tot
- Kirby and Rabil were first linked in 2022 but didn’t go public with their relationship until the following year; she debuted her baby bump in May 2025
Vanessa Kirby has given birth!
On Sunday, Oct. 19, the 37-year-old Fantastic Four: The First Steps actress’ longtime love Paul Rabil, 39, took to Instagram to announce that she had given birth to their first child.
He opened his carousel post with a photo of himself holding his blanket-wrapped baby close to his chest. Rabil, a former professional lacrosse player, also included a photo of Kirby and their little one lying together in bed.
“I’m learning that becoming a parent slows you down and wakes you up at the same time. That I’m really grateful for everyone’s health, that I get to wake up everyday to mum’s enormous love, and that we get to have you in our lives now,” he wrote in the accompanying caption.
His roundup of photos ended with a picture of two miniature lacrosse sticks, which he also referenced in the caption: “For your first cradle stick. It’ll hold many stories and blessings. Likely broken windows too. Balls are allowed in the house.”
Paul Rabil/Instagram
Rabil reshared the photo of the lacrosse sticks on his Instagram Stories, pairing the photo with a white heart emoji.
The proud dad didn’t share any other details about the newest addition to the family, including the baby’s name, gender or when they were born.
Kirby has not yet addressed the happy news on social media. PEOPLE reached out to representatives for the star for an update but did not immediately receive a response.
Kirby and Rabil sparked romance rumors in 2022 and went public with their relationship in November 2023. They largely keep their love life private, but in April 2025 Kirby shared some photos from a romantic getaway to the West Indies including her partner.
“What a beautiful time away to stop for a second to appreciate the people you most love,” she captioned the photos on Instagram.
The actress first revealed she was expecting a baby while attending The Fantastic Four: First Steps panel event at the CCXPMX Film Festival in Mexico City on May 31. Kirby walked the red carpet in a shimmering blue form-fitting Schiaparelli dress and black sandals. As she posed for photographs, she cradled her baby bump.
The star was joined at the event by her Marvel cast mates, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
In a July interview with PEOPLE, Kirby opened up about how she admires the journey her character Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman goes on throughout The Fantastic Four: The First Steps.
“Sue was never sat down. She was never huffing and puffing about it,” Kirby says of her character’s pregnancy.
“It didn’t define who she was,” the Oscar-nominated actress said of her Marvel character. “She was absolutely a mother, and of course, in the comics, that’s so definitively her. But she’s also been a team member that defends, that goes up against great threats.”
“I literally had the lived experience of somebody who was doing this incredibly sacred thing and fulfilling what she needed to do at the same time as a woman and a team member, and that changed me,” Kirby added.
Toya Sarno Jordan/Getty
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During her appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers on July 23, Kirby opened up about the differences between having an actual baby bump versus using a fake belly for her role in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
“Oh, my God, it’s so cool that you stayed in character,” host Seth Meyers joked, referring to growing baby bump.
“I honestly think a lot of people think it’s a stunt of some kind. It’s just crazy timing,” Kirby said before detailing what went into creating her pregnancy on-screen. “Essentially, the fake belly is like a foam thing. When it’s a foam, it feels very light and a bit silly. So I kept saying to Flick, who looks after my costume, ‘I want more. It needs to be heavier.’ ”
“So we would try all these different things and eventually she kind of put heavy rice packets in the belly and it got so heavy, [and] I got really bad backache,” she revealed. She also shared that her actual bump was “nothing like” the fake one and “way lighter.” She concluded: “So, I gave myself backache for no reason at all.”