When Australian hero Sophie Delezio announced that she was pregnant with her first baby with fiancé Joseph Salerno, we couldn’t help but get emotional.
Now, we’re welling up all over again, with a very exciting update to her growing family.
Delezio, 23, took to Instagram to share the gender of her child with a very sweet video, where she and Salerno released shimmering blue confetti to announce that they are expecting a boy.
“It’s a…BOY!!” Delezio wrote alongside the video, adding, “We can’t wait to welcome you to the world little man! Your mum and dad are so excited to meet you.”
Delezio, who is the survivor of two devastating car accidents, first shared the news of her pregnancy to her social media accounts in April, posting a series of photos of her bump at Manly Cove in Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
“The greatest gift of all coming in September,” she captioned the carousel, alongside a baby face and a white heart emoji.
The news coincided with her 23rd birthday, April 3rd, and she was sure to include a photo of her little one’s latest scan.
Delezio was pictured beaming alongside Salerno. The two are childhood sweethearts that met as Year 9 students at Oxford Falls Grammar School.
They’ve been engaged for just over a year, with Salerno popping the question on Valentine’s Day in 2023. The pair are due to tie the knot in the Hunter Valley in October, per Women’s Weekly.
Delezio’s friends and colleagues took to her Instagram to celebrate the wonderful baby news.
“Congrats to you both – just wonderful,” wrote activist Carly Findlay.
“I’m so happy for you!!! That baby has chosen the best mom to bring him into this world. Blessings to you both,” another friend added.
Sophie Delezio first gained media attention when she was just a toddler. In 2003, a car hit her daycare centre in Fairlight, with Sophie suffering third-degree burns to 85 per cent of her body. She was hospitalized for over a year at Westmead Children’s Hospital.
The Delezio family put everything into her recovery, but tragically, she was run over by another car in May 2006, hit at a pedestrian crossing and thrown 20 metres.
Delezio survived both accidents, and has since gone to primary and secondary schools, been a swimmer and a rower, studied in London, worked as a journalist and become engaged (among many other achievements).
Her family have also raised more than $14 million through their foundation, the Day of Difference Foundation.
Delezio’s remarkable story and tremendous resilience have earned her a place in many Australian homes, with her name widely known across the country.
We wish a hearty congratulations to the happy couple on this exciting new chapter.
