Shay Mitchell — You scene-stealer and star of the new YouTube Originals series, Almost Ready (premieres July 17) just confirmed she's expecting a baby with partner Matte Babel with a beautiful topless photo and a video.
Although Mitchell won hearts in You for her pithy quips as Peach Salinger, the actress’ pregnancy unveiling is told with bare emotion.
“When you’re in the public eye, there are some things you want to just keep a secret until you feel ready,” Mitchell explains to the camera while driving. “This for me has been the hardest. This is going to be really fun and awesome when I’m not trying to hide it anymore.”
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That time has finally arrived for her.
A large chunk of Almost Ready, which YouTube confirms will air as a bi-weekly series, will deal with Shay protecting her pregnancy from the press and her fans. As we can see throughout the series’ trailer, the Pretty Little Liars alum felt a lot of pressure to maintain appearances while keeping her stomach hidden.
At one point, we see Shay eating a plate of chicken wings in bed while she admits in voice over, “Months of hiding has been a really lonely journey.” Babel pops up throughout the video, supporting his parter throughout the process.
This intimate peek into Mitchell’s life comes six months after Mitchell revealed she experienced a miscarriage in 2018. Her dream was to enter the new year of 2019 with empathy and fearless honesty. That's what makes her sentiments ahead of Almost Ready so powerful. “It didn’t feel right to just put up a photo and be like, ‘I’m pregnant,’ and have people just think that everything has been just peaches and rainbows,” she explains in the trailer. “This is real life and I want people to come along with me on this journey in real time.”
But, Mitchell’s exciting new period isn’t all tears. A lot of the video is blissful celebration over Mitchell’s sonogram and changing body, and YouTube promises we’ll see Mitchell desperately hunting for alcohol-free wine.
No wonder Mitchell’s pregnancy announcement photo caption is so very fun: “Does this mean I’m allowed to drive in the car pool lane at all times now?,” she asks. Peach Salinger would say yes.