Game Of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer secretly gave birth to her first baby during lockdown

‘It's the perfect thing to do during a pandemic!' 

Natalie Dormer has given birth to a lockdown baby
(Image credit: Getty Images)

‘It's the perfect thing to do during a pandemic!' 

Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer has today revealed that she gave birth to her first child during lockdown.

She hasn't shared the news before now, which has prompted fans to call it her COVID baby.

Natalie and partner and fellow actor David Oakes' baby girl arrived in January. Only their closest friends and family knew they'd given birth, The Daily Mail reports.

Natalie doesn't use social media, which is likely why it was so easy for the star to keep her pregnancy and birth under wraps.

She shared her happy news with friend Esther Rantzen when appearing on her podcast, That’s After Life, this week.

Natalie Dormer and partner

"It's the perfect thing to do during a pandemic - get pregnant, have a baby," Natalie jested.

She continued: "I feel like I'm probably being a bit of a cliché, she’ll probably be sitting in a bar in 30 years’ time one day going, 'Yeah, I'm a COVID baby'".

"I think there's going to be lots of COVID babies because what else can people do, maybe like blitz babies?"

She went on: "She's just three months and she's an absolute joy, I'm never going to complain about shooting hours ever again because sleep deprivation is something else."

A photo posted by on

"People say, 'Your whole perspective on life will change, and your whole set of value system' and you sort of roll your eyes and go 'yeah, yeah' -- and then you have one and you go, 'Oh. Wow!'"

Speaking candidly about her experience as a new mother, she said she was 'in love' and that her baby was 'a joy'.

You'll know Natalie as Margaery Tyrell from Game of Thrones, but she also played Anne Boleyn in The Tudors back in 2007.

Talking about returning to work post-birth, she admitted it'll likely be a challenge. "I'm going to find it very difficult, I think, you don't want to warp the childhood experience," she shared.

This comes the same day as fellow Game of Thrones actress Amelia Clarke has revealed which book helped her overcome her grief at the loss of her father.

Congratulations to the happy couple—we wish them all the best as new parents.

Ally Head
Senior Health, Sustainability and Relationships Editor

Ally Head is Marie Claire UK's Senior Health, Sustainability, and Relationships Editor, nine-time marathoner, and Boston Qualifying runner. Day-to-day, she works across site strategy, features, and e-commerce, reporting on the latest health updates, writing the must-read health and wellness content, and rounding up the genuinely sustainable and squat-proof gym leggings worth *adding to basket*. She's won a BSME for her sustainability work, regularly hosts panels and presents for events like the Sustainability Awards, and saw nine million total impressions on the January 2023 Wellness Issue she oversaw. Follow Ally on Instagram for more or get in touch.