Actor Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley in all of the Harry Potter films, has welcomed a baby girl with his longtime girlfriend, George Groome.
The pair released a statement that reads, "Rupert Grint and Georgia Groome are delighted to confirm the birth of their baby girl. We would please ask that you respect their privacy at this very special time."
The two were able to keep news of Georgia's pregnancy mostly under wraps until about a month ago, when they were photographed together and it became clear she was very pregnant. They were forced to release a similar statement, saying, "Rupert Grint and Georgia Groome are excited to announce they are expecting a baby and would please ask for privacy at this time," at the time.
Rupert and Georgia have been in an on-off relationship for at least the last 10 years. In 2018, Rupert told The Guardian, "I'd like to settle down and have kids soon."
He also joked that he didn't plan to name any future children after any Harry Potter characters: "If I had a son, would I call him Ron? It's quite a good name, but probably not. And Grint's a tough name to pair a one-syllable first name with."
His Guardian interview was actually quite interesting, and he shared a lot about what life has been like as he's grown up: "My life has a very distinct before-and-after line. Before June 2000 I went to a normal state school and life was ordinary. My dad sold Formula One memorabilia and my mum made wedding cakes and looked after five kids. I was very grounded. When I got the part of Ron Weasley I left school straight away and things have never been the same."
He also said that being in movies was amazing, because it helped him hide: "I was quite a shy kid and acting was always attractive to me because you could hide behind the character and be someone completely different. I did loads of school plays and fêtes, and I once dressed up as Mystic Meg."
And he even auditioned for the movies because he was already a fan of the books: "For the first few Harry Potter films I was living the dream. The reason I auditioned was because I loved the books. When I got to film three or four, I started to feel an overwhelming weight of responsibility because they were so phenomenally popular. The whole press and red carpet thing was an attack on the senses. I don’t excel in that kind of environment."
Rupert has also managed to generally stay out of the spotlight, and he said that's partially by design: "As I got older I could feel this growing narrative willing me to get engulfed in some big scandal off-screen. It felt like people were waiting for me to go off the rails, but it was never going to happen. We filmed the whole thing in this very intense bubble in Watford not Hollywood, so we didn’t have the chance to discover drugs, or anything like that."
Georgia is also an actor. She is best known for her role in 2008's Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging. While she and Rupert have been together for nearly 10 years, the news evaded many fans.
One fan wrote, "I was today years old when I found out Georgia from Angus, thongs and perfect snogging has been going out with Ron Weasley since 2011 ????"
Georgia also posts to social media on occasion and seems to like to share bits about what her life is like. Last year, she shared that she and Rupert have been working on becoming beekeepers. "Our first colony of Bees successfully installed into their new @flowhive this weekend. Already in and out and bringing back the pollen."
Rupert's Harry Potter costars have yet to offer a public reaction to the news, but they are likely thrilled. Rupert has remained close to Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, who played his best friends in the Harry Potter series.
