A jilted groom-to-be who went on honeymoon with a stranger after being dumped on his wedding day has had a baby with his ex-fiancée.
John Whitbread, 37, opted to look on the bright side after the split with fiancée Amy Jackson – and raffled off his honeymoon.
He later flew to the Dominican Republic with winner Kelly Wood who he met for the first time at the airport.
But later, he reconciled with Amy and even went on live TV to propose to her for a second time.
Now the couple are celebrating after Amy gave birth to their first child together, a bouncing baby boy called Oliver.
Amy, 29, gave birth to 7lb 3oz Oliver on November 11 last year and the couple are now planning to get hitched in the summer.
John, of Measham, Leicestershire, said: "It's great being a dad after all we’ve been through.
“The first four weeks I struggled. I’m late having a child, but I’ve always looked forward to it.
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“People talk about getting this immediate, unconditional love but that’s not always the case.
“I thought to myself, what’s wrong with me, am I a bad father, all that stuff.
“I spoke to other dads going through the same thing.
“I have this amazing little gem now in my life. Amy was superb.
“She is a brilliant mum. I don’t put myself under that pressure anymore."
He added: "It pushes you to your limits, with the sick, the changing and all that stuff.
“All the late nights are worth every second.
“I’m a big mushy mess now, especially when he smiles at me. All of that worry was just over nothing.”
Photographer Amy, who also has a daughter, Daisy Perry, 11, from a previous relationship, added: “I’m just so glad we’ve been given another chance.
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“Having Oliver is so special and now I can’t wait for us to actually get married.”
The couple were due to get married on Valentine’s Day 2015 before Amy called it off at the last moment.
John was heartbroken but decided to hold a charity auction with the winner taking Amy’s place on their honeymoon, which had already been paid for.
Kelly Wood, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, won the bizarre competition and joined John on a two-week romantic getaway before they parted as friends.
John and Amy went their separate ways and had relationships with other people before getting back in touch through Facebook.
They rekindled their romance and moved in together in 2018 before Amy fell pregnant early last year.
John, who now runs a business directory business with Amy, said: “When we first got together it all happened so fast.
“I went out with my brother and his friends when I saw Amy working at a nightclub.
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“I asked her for her number but she didn’t give it to me. As I walked out of the club, I stopped in my tracks and ran back in.
“I told her ‘What have you got to lose? Please let me take you out for a date’
“Something felt right about it. I knew there was something there.”
Despite the couple’s instant chemistry, Amy admits their relationship moved to fast.
She said: “The first time around, I admit I wasn’t sure. I loved the time I had with John, but I felt this pressure around the wedding.
“I got cold feet, panicked and ran away. It really wasn’t the right thing to do. I wanted to take things slower.
“We moved in together within a month and got engaged quickly, I didn’t feel ready.”
After his “Jilted John” honeymoon raffle went viral Amy revealed she was subjected to personal abuse.
She said: “After the media got involved, I was getting death threats. It was really horrible.
“If you have got doubts over a wedding, it’s important to speak to your other half.
“They may be feeling the same as you, they may be able to help.
“It’s about being completely open with one another.
“If something doesn’t feel right you can speak about it, resolve it and put it to bed.
“I always loved John. It was just a case of bad timing. I dreamed of getting back together.”
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