Former England star Steph Houghton reveals she’s expecting her first child with her husband Stephen Darby after sharing hopes they could become parents amid his battle with Motor Neurone Disease

Steph Houghton announced that she is pregnant with her first child.

The 38-year-old British Lioness shared the happy news in an Instagram post on Saturday after hoping she and husband Stephen Darby could still become parents despite his battle with motor neurone disease.

Sharing a snapshot of her ultrasound on Instagram, Steph captioned the post: “Your Tomorrow.” My Half. Our family will soon be three people.’

Stephen was forced to quit football in September 2018 after being diagnosed with the rare condition, and Steph stopped playing football in 2024 to spend more time caring for him.

The couple had only been married for three months when he was diagnosed, and he had been living with the debilitating disease for almost seven years.

Explaining that they are still hopeful that they will be able to have children in the future, Steph told ITV News last year: ‘It has always been our dream to become parents one day and it is still possible. This is something we will always continue to talk about.

The Manchester City star has previously shared his hopes that he and Stephen can still become parents after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2018.

‘I love him so much, I know he is as strong as ever. ‘He’s prepared to fight this for as long as possible.’

Houghton, who retired from Manchester City in 2024, said it was one of the hardest things to watch the man he loved become unable to do daily tasks.

He said: ‘How would you describe the changes we are going through as a family? It is very difficult to see your husband who promises so much in his football career.

‘To see that taken away from him, but also to see simple tasks that we take for granted – being able to walk, eat, climb stairs.’

This weekend Darby Rimmer MND Foundation supporters will collectively walk 178 miles, starting from Wembley and covering 26 stadiums.

Houghton said: ‘We are so desperate for this treatment, so desperate for money to be put into research to give families some hope.’

According to the NHS, there is currently no cure for MND, but there are treatments available to help reduce how it affects a person’s daily life. The MND Association states that the disease affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time.

It is a rare condition that affects the brain and nervous system, causing people diagnosed with the disease to experience symptoms of weakness in their limbs, slurred speech, and weight loss. It can affect adults of all ages but is more likely to affect people over 50.

Stephen was forced to quit football in September 2018 after being diagnosed with a rare condition and Steph stopped playing football in 2024 so she could spend more time caring for him.

Darby was first diagnosed after experiencing weakness in his hand; This includes seeing him ‘fall off’ the steering wheel while driving and experiencing twitches in his arm.

After 18 months of tests, he was finally given the news that he had MND.

In November, the football player, who was captain of the Lioness team between 2014 and 2021, announced that Darby had a feeding tube installed after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy to help her body get the nutrients she needed to survive.

‘You want Stephen to live as normal a life as possible, to be able to eat as much as he can and cover his calorie intake,’ he told The Guardian.

‘Eating out has become a bit risky over the last few months and that’s when the decision had to be made.

‘We need Stephen to maintain weight and eat. It hasn’t been too many months because these decisions are life changing and take a lot of getting used to. But ultimately it’s the best thing for him. It makes him relax a little more.

‘There are good days and bad days but I think we’ve adapted really well over the last six years. It’s obviously a challenging journey but I want to be honest about the actual process and spread awareness of the disease.’

In a post titled ‘The reality of MND’ in December 2023, Darby explained to her Instagram followers that the disease meant she was now prone to falls and could no longer break them.

He wrote: ‘As your body, arms and legs become weaker, you become more susceptible to trips and falls. When you fall or stumble, you cannot use your arms to break your fall.’

The former athlete added: ‘Falls are unpleasant and they also have a physical and emotional impact on the family who will be picking you up and looking after you.’

Saying that he learned to “adapt and overcome these obstacles” with the support of his family, Darby said, “You pick yourself up and get on the road again.”

Houghton said it was vital to discuss the reality of living with MND and expressed her sense of injustice that her husband’s career was cut short against his will.

‘But the more you dwell on it, the more it hurts you,’ he added. ‘So I learned how important it is to be positive.’

Houghton and Darby tied the knot in June 2018, with the former Lioness previously revealing it was ‘love at first sight’.

The pair spoke about their relationship in a podcast hosted by the late rugby league legend Rob Burrow, who died in June after a fight with MND.

Houghton recalled that they first met thanks to a meeting arranged by his manager.

He admitted that his first impression was that it “smelled amazing” and joked that he must have applied “the whole bottle” of aftershave.

Darby, meanwhile, remembered buying new clothes before the meeting, and only when he got home did he realize he still had a sticky tag on the back of his pants.

During the podcast, Houghton admitted she had ‘never heard of MND before Stephen was diagnosed’ and asked: ‘Why us?’ he remembered asking. and feeling ‘sad and angry’.

Darby, who played for Swindon Town, Notts County, Rochdale, Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers before his career was cut short, aimed to raise awareness about MND from the moment he was diagnosed.

Last year he completed a 278km charity walk from Anfield to Valley Parade, raising £130,000 alongside Marcus Stewart, another former footballer suffering from MND.

He also encouraged Houghton to continue playing football before hanging up his boots at the end of last season.

Houghton is now an ambassador for Manchester City and has also embarked on his coaching journey, working as a pundit for Sky and launching a podcast with Ian Wright.

Houghton admits to feeling guilty when she had to leave Darby behind for work, but praises the support network the couple had that helped them through such a difficult time.

“I feel a little bit guilty when I go to games or have to spend the night because I’m not with Stephen,” Houghton added. ‘It takes a lot out of you emotionally.

‘The last few months have been challenging because there’s always a worry in the back of your head if something happens when you’re not there. You just want everything to be okay, but I think we’re getting more into a routine.

‘Our families have been absolutely unreal as we have such a good support network. ‘It allows me to do what I need to do and ensure Stephen gets the best care possible.’

Motor Neurone Disease (ALS): There is no known cure and half of patients live only three years after diagnosis

History

The NHS defines motor neurone disease (MND) as: ‘A rare condition that affects the brain and nerves. ‘It causes weakness that worsens over time.’

The weakness results from the deterioration of motor neurons, upper motor neurons that travel from the brain to the spinal cord, and lower motor neurons that spread to the face, throat, and limbs.

This is why MND is sometimes known as Charcot disease, as it was first discovered by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot in 1865.

In the UK, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is referred to as Motor Neurone Disease, while in the US, ALS is referred to as a specific subset of MND, defined as a group of neurological disorders.

However, according to Oxford University Hospitals: ‘Almost 90 per cent of patients with MND have the mixed form of ALS of the disease, so the terms MND and ALS are often used to mean the same thing.’

symptoms

Weakness in the ankle or leg, which may manifest as tripping or difficulty climbing stairs, and poor ability to grasp objects.

Slurred speech is an early symptom and may worsen later to include difficulty swallowing food.

Muscle cramps or twitches are also a symptom, as is weight loss due to leg and arm muscles thinning over time.

Diagnosis

MND is difficult to diagnose in its early stages because many conditions can cause similar symptoms. Additionally, there are no tests used to detect its presence.

However, the disease is usually diagnosed through a process of exclusion; In this process, diseases that show symptoms similar to ALS are excluded.

Treatment

There is no definitive treatment for MND and the disease is fatal, but the disease progresses at different rates in patients.

People with MND are expected to live two to five years after symptoms first appear, but 10 percent of patients live at least 10 years.

reasons

The NHS says MND is a ‘rare condition’ that predominantly affects older people. However, he warns that it can affect adults of all ages.

The NHS says it is not yet known why the disease occurred. The ALS Association says MND occurs worldwide ‘without racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries and can affect anyone’.

He says war veterans are twice as likely to get ALS, and men are 20 percent more likely to get it.

Lou Gehrig was one of baseball’s leading stars while playing for the Yankees from 1923 to 1939. Known as the ‘Iron Horse’, he played in 2,130 consecutive games before ALS forced him to retire. The record was set by Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995. was broken by.

Lou Gehrig’s Disease

In addition to being known as ALS and Charcot disease, MND is also often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Lou Gehrig was a hugely popular baseball player who played for the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1939.

He was famous for his strength and was nicknamed ‘The Iron Horse’.

His power, popularity and fame transcended the sport of baseball, and this adopted the athlete’s name.

He died two years after his diagnosis.