The Sun Baby from the iconic British children’s TV series Teletubbies is now a mother.
As revealed in a post on her social media account earlier this year, Jess Smith has welcomed her first baby with partner Ricky Latham. In the first incarnation of the series, which started in 1997, Smith portrayed the Sun Baby that woke up the titular Teletubbies every morning. Her likeness was used in the series up until the BBC Two show ended in 2001. She was later replaced with another infant when the show was briefly revived from 2015 to 2018.
Smith has been documenting her first time as a parent by sharing photos of herself with Latham and their baby girl, Poppy Rae Latham.
She revealed that she was expecting her first child in October last year alongside an ultrasound image. The reaction online indicated that everyone was instantly reminded of how much they’ve aged since Teletubbies was on TV over two decades ago. Smith is now in her late 20s, but she was immortalized onscreen as an infant.
Smith was relatively secretive about being the Sun Baby for most of her life but decided to share her identity when she turned 19 because she saw others falsely claiming they were the baby. In a post shared on Instagram in November 2021, she broke down how she was cast in the series.
“7 years ago today I posted on my Facebook page finally telling everyone that I was the Sun Baby. A lot has happened since posting coming out with it,” she shared. “I’ve been to a number of premiers. Taught a dance routine to a group of kids at a screening of the new series. Met a bunch of celebrities. Appeared on lots of recording sets. Been taken to Germany for a tv show. And loads, loads more. I am cannot thank everyone enough for the support and guidance I’ve had through the process.”
