Parenting

Her greatest role begins: Miranda Tapsell has just welcomed her gorgeous new baby girl with husband James Colley

A huge congratulations are in order.
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She’s the darling of Australian film, but now Miranda Tapsell has welcomed a brand new darling to the world – her newborn baby girl!

The 33-year-old announced the news on Instagram today, sharing two beautiful photo of the newborn and revealing her perfect name.

“Christmas has come early for us as we welcome our Grace Birri-Pa Purnarrika Colley. Birri-Pa is Larrakia for Butterfly, Purnarrika is Tiwi for Water Lily,” she captioned the post.

“Grace has entered the world adored by her mum and dad, as well as all her aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and so many more. We are extremely grateful, overjoyed and so, so tired 💕”

The Top End Wedding star announced her pregnancy back in May with a sweet post featuring a sonogram pic and she and James looking chuffed to be new parents.

“Our very exciting production due 2021,” Miranda wrote alongside the post, which was flooded with congratulations from friends and fans.

James also posted the same announcement on his own Instagram page, today sharing the same photos Miranda shared of their new daughter to announce her birth.

Miranda and James are proud new parents!

(Instagram)

Speaking to The Weekly in December, the couple revealed that the nursery was appropriately decorated.

“Miranda has decked it out with pictures of Beyoncé and inspirational quotes from Dolly Parton,” laughed James. “I put one Penrith Panthers poster on the wall, so my inclusion is there.”

Meanwhile Miranda, a proud Larrakia Tiwi woman, has learnt Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Tiwi so that she can sing it to her bub.

Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree has also been translated into Tiwi so I also want to learn that. I come from a culture that is over 60,000 years old, which is really special. I have lots of picture books, not just by Aboriginal authors but also African-American authors, Chinese-Australian authors. My parents raised me to be interested and curious about the way that other people lived. I definitely want to raise my baby that way, too,” she said.

Miranda graced the Christmas 2021 cover of The Australian Women’s Weekly.

(Photo: Peter Brew-Bevan)

The duo have been married for almost three years after a chance interaction on Twitter, of all places.

“He was friends with my friends so it’s not like this strange catfish story, though he will tell you differently. He thinks I hit him up, that I started flirting,” Miranda previously joked to Australian Women’s Weekly.

“He was chatting to Aboriginal playwrights and rappers, people I knew, and I was reading all his stuff which was quite funny. Twitter really is for comedians. You’ve got to think quickly on your feet and say very little. He was good at those punchlines.”

Miranda and James married in 2018.

(Instagram)

The rest, as they say, was history.

The couple have gone from strength to strength, and their Wollongong wedding in December 2018 solidified it.

James is a comedy writer for ABC’s Gruen and The Weekly, which has no doubt inspired countless laughs and joyful anecdotes between the couple over the years – with many to come.

“James is very, very funny. That’s what I really love about our relationship. We are able to make each other laugh. He’s particularly good at it when I’m having a rough day and I’m in a foul mood. He’s always managed to say or do something really funny that breaks me out of my spell, especially during lockdown,” Miranda told us.

And now, their next chapter begins with their gorgeous baby girl, and we can’t wait to see it unfold. Congratulations to the new parents!

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