Gavin & Stacey star Matthew Horne 'secretly' welcomed first child with wife Celina Bassili ahead of Christmas special

The BBC sitcom star, who is set to return to screens for a highly-anticipated Christmas special later this year, was spotted alongside his wife Celina Bassili and their child in pictures obtained by The Sun. The 45-year-old actor had kept the news close to his chest but there is belief that Bassili game birth to their son as far back bas September 2021, meaning he could be almost three-years-old.

A source told The Sun: “Mathew is a brilliant dad and he and Celina love being parents. Celina’s brother has a son who is a similar age and they loved spending time together. Mathew kept the news quiet because he prefers to live his life out of the spotlight, even though he’s a household name thanks to Gavin and Stacey.

“All his Gavin and Stacey co-stars know about him being a dad, including James Corden and Joanna Page. They all have kids so you can imagine the talk on set for the Christmas special is going to centre a lot on their kids.”

Excitement is high among fans after Gavin & Stacey creators James Corden and Ruth Jones broke the long-awaited news of the sitcom’s return. The show will air its “last episode ever” on Christmas Day 2024.

Fans have been left in suspense for five years, after the last Christmas special saw fan favourite character Nessa get down on one knee and propose to former flame Smithy. The 2019 special became the highest-viewed TV show in the UK in a decade as 18 million viewers tuned in to watch the return of the Shipman’s to the screen.