Rate My Takeaway's Danny Malin expecting baby with Sheffield BGT star Sophie Mei Lan

Danny Malin, who runs the hit Rate My Takeaway channel, and Sophie Mei Lan, who writes for the Yorkshire Post and was previously a reporter for The Star, announced today that they are expecting their first child together in September. Danny, who has nearly 600,000 subscribers, said they had been ‘lost souls’ before meeting but they now had ‘our own little miracle’.

Danny, aged 43, whose no-nonsense reviews of takeaways around the UK have earned him a legion of fans, met Sophie, 34, who grew up in Pitsmoor, and as well as being a journalist is a blogger, author and personal trainer, when she interviewed him for her own YouTube channel. They soon hit it off and The Star reported earlier this year how the besotted couple, who both have children from previous relationships, were engaged to be married.

They both have children from previous relationships but this will be their first child together. Sophie told how they had been trying for a while to have a baby together before exploring other options, until the unexpected happened. She said she had ‘nearly died’ 18 months ago ‘didn’t think my dream would ever come true’.

Danny said: "Life is too short, I didn't want to waste a minute. We both love our family first with our children being our main priority and enjoy making people happy on YouTube but most of all we were both lost souls before we met. We weren't looking for love but as soon as we met we hit it off and realised we had finally found a love like no other."

He added: "We have our own little miracle. We both love being parents and now to have found each other and have a baby to join our four children at home is incredible."

Sophie said: "We both lived for our kids and had accepted we'd be single parents and feeling lonely forever but when we met it was like meeting a male version of me – without the vegetarian taste buds and love of fitness that is.”

Speaking on her YouTube channel, Sophie said: “It’s a proper little miracle and our new life together.” Danny said he ‘cannot wait’ and is ‘absolutely buzzing’, as the couple revealed the new baby was ‘made in Egypt’. They also filmed the moment they shared the happy news with Sophie’s mum, who was thrilled.

Writing on her MamaMei blog, Sophie said: “We are both absolutely ecstatic, it is better than our dreams coming true. We are already blessed with four children at home between us who we love more than anything and now we have another beautiful baby to add to our growing family.”

Speaking to The Star earlier this year, Sophie told how they shared a love of eating out and enjoying takeaways at home together but she had also got Danny into spa breaks as she loves spending time at the gym, and he has lost weight since they became a couple. Sophie, who famously impressed Simon Cowell with her belly dancing moves when she appeared on the second series of Britain’s Got Talent, said: “We have both been through a rollercoaster ride in life so since meeting we have made the most of every moment.”

Sophie has joined Danny on some of his food reviews, including one in Paris. She has her own mental health YouTube channel called Sophie’s World and they have a joint TikTok account called @mrandmrsyorkshire.