Footballer Theo Walcott and wife Melanie Slade announce birth of baby boy Finley

Melanie Slade has given birth to her first child on Thursday morning, with her footballer husband Theo Walcott sharing the news via his Facebook account. The 24-year-old wrote: 'So over the moon to announce the birth of our baby boy Finley born this morning.... It's amazing to be mummy & daddy! Love him so much x'
The England football player married Mel, his childhood sweetheart, in June last year at Castello di Vincigliata, near Florence in Italy.

Big news: Footballer Theo Walcott and Melanie Slade announced the birth of their first child Finley via Facebook on Thursday

Walcott had the castle location tattooed on his arm as a romantic reminder of their special day and they announced that they were to become parents in December.

 The couple said in a statement at the time: 'We are both very excited at such happy news just a few months after getting married. We are really looking forward to becoming parents.'

Walcott will definitely not be in Brazil for the 2014 World Cup, which kicks off on June 12, as he suffered a ligament injury against Tottenham Hotspur in January and will be out for six months to recover.

Bumping along nicely: A heavily pregnant Melanie was spotted visiting a DIY shop on April 4

He has already said the baby will help take his mind off the long rehabilitation process. He is hoping to be fit for the start of next season.
Theo and Melanie tied the knot following nine years of dating after meeting at the WestQuay shopping centre in Southampton - when he was playing for the seaside town's youth team.
Melanie admitted that her wedding was an emotional day. She said: 'That moment when I saw Theo waiting for me at the altar was so overwhelming.

Happy dad: Arsenal's England winger will no doubt be thrilled to be a father for the first time

'Your emotions are all over the place - you're so excited and euphoric because you're marrying this person who you love so much, but there are some nerves there too because it's such a big step.'
Slade was billed as 'the new Coleen McLoughlin' by the media when Theo was selected by Sven-Göran Eriksson for the England squad in 2006.

However, Melanie never courted the press and kept a relatively low-profile compared to other WAGS and focused on her career as a sports physiotherapist.

Low profile: The couple rarely attend public events together but did attend the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn premiere in London in 2011