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Tyra Banks, 42, and her boyfriend, Norweigan photographer Erik Asla, have welcomed a son via surrogate. Tyra made the announcement on her Instagram and she also issued a pretty lengthy statement to People. In her statement, Tyra referenced her difficult fertility struggle and wrote that she prays for couples struggling to have a baby.
“We are so excited for our new baby boy bundle of joy. The journey to now has not been an easy process, as I’ve shared before. But there was a beautiful bright light at the end of the tunnel for me and his father, Erik,” she tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement.
“As I gaze into the beautiful eyes of my son, I think about all the people who struggle with fertility or carrying a child and continue to pray for them every day. My hopes and dreams are filled with well wishes that they get to feel what my little treasure, York Banks Asla, feels like in my arms.”
It’s over the top, but I guess we can tell that Tyra wrote this herself. “My little treasure” makes me imagine Tyra stroking the baby’s head and whispering “my treasure” in a Golum voice. It sounds strange that she’s praying for everyone who can’t have children, but this was likely a long journey for her. She hinted at it during an episode of her show, FabLife, last September with Chrissy Teigen. Teigen, who was not yet pregnant at the time, talked about her fertility struggles and Tyra got choked up when she said “You just have no idea what people are going through.”
In terms of the name, York is unique but it’s not terrible. It makes me want a peppermint patty, I love those things. York is also the name of a city in the north of England. It could be considered similar to other city names like Brooklyn or Paris.
Oh and here’s Tyra’s Instagram on her baby. I hope she shares a picture of him soon. She also thanked “the angel of a woman that carried our miracle baby boy for us,” which was nice.
Congratulations to Tyra and Erik on their new arrival!
photo credit: WENN and Instgram/Tyra Banks
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