Nicole Williams English Shares Her Baby’s Gender

The 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie also explains why she didn’t have a big reveal party.

Nicole Williams English and Larry EnglishJosh Ryan

Nicole Williams English made quite the splash on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit runway during Miami Swim Week. Having been announced as the first rookie of the 2023 issue, she walked with former NFL player and husband Larry English and showed her growing baby bump to reveal they are expecting their first child together. “I still have to look in the mirror to check if it’s real,” says English, who is in her second trimester. Until now, the couple had only shared the gender with their parents and best friends, and it’s a girl!

“My dad thought we were having a boy, but our moms knew it was a girl probably because I’ve always wanted a girl first,” she says of the reveal at 10 weeks. “We sent them all pink flowers as a surprise!” The couple knew the gender long before as they opted for the girl embryo when going through IVF. (They even have known the little lady’s name for quite some time.) “We went back and forth about it, but I really wanted a girl first, and Larry’s so easy and so supportive,” she explains. “He’s like, ‘I’m totally fine being a girl dad. He has little girls around him and has a little sister who’s a bit younger than he is. He’s the only boy, so yeah, he was just totally fine with having a girl first.”

As far as sharing the big news with everyone, the Nia Lynn designer decided she will share it on her Instagram. “I went back and forth about doing an actual gender reveal party, but ultimately, I decided to do a video that I could share with all of my followers and something that we could keep forever to show our daughter,” she says. “I wanted it to be like a home movie but somehow still incorporate a surprise in there. That’s when I thought of doing black and white to color. I’ve seen some videos of this before and thought it was very unique and special.”

With the reveal out of the way, it’s time to begin nesting… that is, after the couple moves into their new home. “I haven’t been able to put much thought into the nursery yet because we will be moving soon,” she shares. “We need more space so that I can nest and build the nursery how I want it. I’m going back and forth about theme. I like the idea of a galaxy-themed room, but I also love just a very clean coastal vibe.”

Regardless of what their baby girl’s room will look like, with two fashionable parents, it is safe to say her wardrobe is going to be on point. “Larry keeps telling me to wait because we will have so much more to pack, but I have a feeling I’m going to go on a crazy shopping spree very soon,” she jokes. “She’s going to be very spoiled when it comes to clothes.”

And just think of all the hand-me-downs from mom’s closet! Although lately English’s wardrobe has been all about comfort. “All I want to wear are sweatpants right now or anything stretchy. It’s weird when you have a growing belly because I’m not sure how to even wear clothes anymore,” she confesses. “Everything looks different when you have a belly. I have to buy all new jeans because none of those will button up. Luckily, it’s summer, and I can get away with wearing biker shorts and sundresses.”