Steph Houghton has revealed she’s pregnant with her first child.
The England Lioness, 38, shared the happy news in an Instagram post on Saturday, after sharing hopes she and her husband Stephen Darby could still become parents despite his battle with motor neurone disease.
Posting a snap of her ultrasound on Instagram, Steph captioned the post: ‘Half of You. Half of Me. Our family will soon be three.’
Stephen was forced to retire from football in September 2018 after being diagnosed with the rare condition, and Steph gave up playing in 2024 so she could spend more time caring for him.
The couple had been married for just three months when he was diagnosed, and he has now lived with the debilitating disease for nearly seven years.
Describing how they’re still hopeful that they can have a child in the future, Steph told ITV News last year: ‘It was always a dream of ours to be parents one day and that’s still possible. It’s something that we’ll always continue to speak about.
Former England Lioness Steph Houghton has revealed she’s pregnant with her first child, sharing she will welcome a baby with her husband Stephen Darby later this year
The Manchester City star had previously shared her hopes that she and Stephen could still become parents after he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2018
‘I love him to absolute bits, I know he’s as strong as ever. He’s willing to fight this for as long as possible.’
Houghton, who retired from Manchester City in 2024, said watching the man she loves unable to do everyday tasks has been one of the hardest things.
She said: ‘How do you ever describe the changes that we’ve had as a family? It’s so hard to see your husband who had so much promise in his football career.
‘To see that being taken away from him, but also the simple tasks that we take for granted – being able to walk, being able to have food, being able to get up the stairs.’
This weekend, supporters of Darby Rimmer MND Foundation will collectively walk 178 miles, starting at Wembley and taking in 26 stadiums.
Houghton said: ‘We are so desperate for that cure, we are so desperate for money to be put into research to allow families to have that little bit of hope.’
According to the NHS, there is currently no cure for MND but there are treatments that help to reduce how it impacts a person’s daily life, with the MND Association stating that the illness affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any time.
It is a rare condition that affects the brain and nervous system, causing those diagnosed with the illness to suffer symptoms of weakness in their limbs, slurred speech and weight loss. It can affect adults of any age but is more likely to affect people over the age of 50.
Stephen was forced to retire from football in September 2018 after being diagnosed with the rare condition, and Steph gave up playing in 2024 so she could spend more time caring for him
Darby was first diagnosed after he experienced a weakness in his hand – including seeing it ‘fall off’ the steering wheel while he was driving and experiencing twitches in his arm.
After 18 months of testing, he was finally given the news that he had MND.
In November the footballer, who captained the Lionesses between 2014 and 2021, revealed Darby had been fitted with a feeding tube following a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy to help him get the necessary nutrients into his body to survive.
‘You want Stephen to be living a normal life as much as possible, to be able to eat as much food as he can and get that calorie intake on board,’ she told The Guardian.
‘Over the last few months it became a bit risky having food and that’s when the decision had to be made.
‘We need Stephen to keep weight on and to eat. It hasn’t been a great few months because these decisions are life-changing and it takes a lot of time to get used to. But ultimately it’s the best thing for him. It allows him to relax a bit more.
‘There are good and bad days but I think we’ve adapted really well over the last six years. It’s obviously a tough ride but I want to be honest about the actual process and spread awareness of the disease.’
In December 2023, in a post headed ‘A reality of MND’, Darby explained to his Instagram followers how the disease means he’s now prone to falls and can no longer break them.
He wrote: ‘As your body, arms and legs become weaker you are more susceptible to trips and falls. When you fall or trip you can’t use your arms to break your fall.’
The former sportsman added: ‘The falls aren’t nice and they also affect the family physically and emotionally who are left to pick you up and look after you.’
Darby said that with the support of his family he had learned to ‘adapt and overcome these obstacles’, saying: ‘You pick yourself’ up and go again.
Houghton said it was vital to discuss the reality of living with MND and opened up about feeling a sense of injustice that her husband’s career was cut short against his will.
‘But the more you dwell on it, the more that it harms you,’ she added. ‘So I’ve learnt how important it is to be positive.’
Houghton and Darby married in June 2018, with the former Lioness previously revealing it was ‘love at first sight’.
The pair spoke about their relationship on a podcast presented by the late rugby league great Rob Burrow, who died in June following a battle with MND.
Houghton recalled that they first came together thanks to a meeting arranged by her agent.
She admitted that her first impression was that he ‘smelled amazing’, joking that he must have put ‘the whole bottle’ of aftershave on.
Darby, meanwhile, recalled buying new clothes before the meeting and only realised when he got home that he still had a sticky tag on the back of his trousers.
During the podcast, Houghton admitted she had ‘never heard of MND before Stephen got diagnosed’ and remembers asking ‘Why us?’ and feeling ‘upset and angry’.
Darby, who played for Swindon Town, Notts County, Rochdale, Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers before his career was cut short, has aimed to raise awareness of MND since his diagnosis.
He raised £130,000 alongside Marcus Stewart – another ex-footballer suffering from MND – by completing a 178-mile charity march from Anfield to Valley Parade last year.
He also encouraged Houghton to keep playing football, before she eventually hung her boots up at the end of last season.
Houghton is now an ambassador for Manchester City, while she has also begun her coaching journey, worked as a pundit for Sky and started a podcast alongside Ian Wright.
Houghton admits to feeling guilt when she has to leave Darby behind for her work, but has hailed the support network the couple have in place that has helped them through such a difficult period.
‘When I’m going to games or having to stay overnight I feel a little guilty because I’m not with Stephen,’ Houghton added. ‘It takes a lot out of you emotionally.
‘These last few months have been challenging because you always have that worry in the back of your head if you’re not there and something happens. You just want it to be OK but I think we’re getting into more of a routine.
‘Our families have been absolutely unreal as we’ve got such a good support network. It allows me to do what I need to do and for Stephen to have the best possible care.’
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