GBBO's Selasi Gbormittah is a dad: Star welcomes his first child
Great British Bake Off star Selasi Gbormittah has welcomed his first child.
The Ghana-born baker, 40, who was a semi-finalist on 2016's seventh series of the show, took to Instagram on Sunday to reveal his long-term girlfriend Joelle Rainford had given birth to 'the perfect sous chef'.
In an accompanying caption, he wrote: 'My turn! New to this fatherhood thing & loving it. The perfect sous chef, untrained, and currently contributes nothing but sweet bubbly noises - the adventures have already begun....
'All feels special. Happy Father’s Day to all dads and father figures celebrating today'.
The images in his post included a snap of the star in scrubs holding the newborn, an image of him lying on a hospital bed, a shot showing him leaving hospital carrying a car seat and also a throwback shot of his own father.
Great British Bake Off star Selasi Gbormittah has welcomed his first child
The Ghana-born baker, 40, who was a semi-finalist on 2016's seventh series of the show, took to Instagram on Sunday to reveal his long-term girlfriend Joelle Rainford had given birth to 'the perfect sous chef'
He shared a shot showing him leaving hospital carrying a car seat
A number of fellow Bake Off stars responded to the post, with Crystelle Pereira writing: 'Selasi!!!!!! This is so amazing, the biggest congratulations, hope mum and baby are doing well. Sending so much love to you all xxx'.
Nadiya Hussain wrote: 'Congratulations big guy!'
The show's 2019 winner Rosie Brandreth wrote: 'Oh congratulations!!!!', while 2018 winner Dr Rahul Mandal penned: 'Congratulations x'.
Giovanna Fletcher added: 'Whooooooop!!! Huge congratulations! Xxx'.
Selasi gained a vast fan base during his stint on the show and viewers were left playfully heartbroken when they discovered his relationship with Joelle, due to his flirtations with fellow baker Benjamina on screen.
At the time, he said of his co-star: 'She was a proper sister to me. She's probably the only one who thinks I'm really funny! Everyone else thinks I'm not funny at all. So yeah - it's good to have a friend like that.'
Selasi has frequently shed light on his life and upbringing.
He moved to Britain 25 years ago, having previously lived in Zomayi, in the poverty-stricken Volta region of Ghana, with his parents Dan and Regina, brother Senanu, sister Edinam as well as their grandparents in a cramped house.
Selasi is pictured with long-term girlfriend Joelle Rainford
He was also seen lying on a hospital bed
A number of fellow Bake Off stars responded to the post, with Crystelle Pereira writing: 'Selasi!!!!!! This is so amazing, the biggest congratulations, hope mum and baby are doing well. Sending so much love to you all xxx'
Nadiya Hussain wrote: 'Congratulations big guy!'
The show's 2019 winner Rosie Brandreth wrote: 'Oh congratulations!!!!', while 2018 winner Dr Rahul Mandal penned: 'Congratulations x'
Giovanna Fletcher added: 'Whooooooop!!! Huge congratulations! Xxx'
His parents worked all day to make ends meet (Regina was a nurse and Dan a finance officer at a national oil company) and his grandmother Suzanna took care of the children, cutting their hair and sewing their clothes to save money.
Selasi started helping in the kitchen as a toddler and credits his father for his love of cooking: 'My inspiration was Dad. He is a great cook.'
But, when he was just six, Selasi's life changed dramatically.
In 1992, in a bid to find work that would bring in more money, his mother, now 56, travelled 8,000 miles to London, for a nurse's training post at Charing Cross Hospital and later at Hammersmith and St Mary's hospitals.
She lived in rented accommodation and sent home any money she made. Selasi, meanwhile, was sent to a government-funded boarding school in Accra, Ghana's capital.
Selasi is pictured during his stint on the show
At the age of 14, Selasi moved to London with his elder brother and they lived in a three-bedroom local authority flat in a tower block in White City.
He went on to work on the global transactions desk at Deutsche Bank.
As well as his job as a city banker, Selasi is a passionate biker and in 2018 was left heartbroken when his £15k motorbike was stolen.
After the vehicle was taken by callous thieves, the police managed to recover the bike just days later thanks to a tracking system.
Selasi posted footage on Twitter at the time of the BMW RR motorbike, which he has nicknamed 'Optimus', being taken from a 'secure location'.
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
