British actress Charlotte Kirk gives birth to her first child with film producer fiancé after ‘terrifying’ labour as he reveals his name

British film star Charlotte Kirk has given birth to her first child – a healthy boy – but suffered a ‘terrifying’ labour ordeal that left her in tears.

The Ocean’s 8 and How To Be Single actress, 33, welcomed son Hunter at the weekend with her her fiancé, Colombian-born film producer Karlos Ways, 39, at Queen Mary’s Hospital in London.

Announcing the birth of her son, Charlotte told the Daily Mail: ‘It started out great because I had a lot of gas and air, and it felt amazing. But then things suddenly got very real.

‘I tried the [strong painkiller] pethidine, which didn’t really do anything. I finally ended up begging for the epidural – and it absolutely saved my life.’

The situation then escalated dramatically when Hunter’s heart rate suddenly dropped. ‘It was absolutely terrifying,’ Charlotte added.

‘The moment they saw his heart rate drop, more than ten people rushed into the room and said, “This baby needs to come out now.”

‘I just burst into tears because I felt so helpless and overwhelmed. It was this flood of emotions – I didn’t know how to protect my baby in that moment.’

She continued: ‘I felt the fears that mothers talk about, and only when you become a mother do you really know what that means.’

The Kent-born actress, who filmed upcoming action-thriller The Night Driver with Josh Lucas and David Arquette while four-and-a-half months pregnant, added: ‘I had to push very, very quickly.

‘They did use a vacuum to help get him out, but he’s absolutely perfect – happy and healthy.’

Charlotte shared an exclusive photo with the Daily Mail showing herself cuddled up to her newborn son shortly after the birth.

The actress said they named their son Hunter because it symbolises bravery, explaining: ‘We wanted something that would grow with him.’

Charlotte and Karlos met through mutual friends over three years ago, with the star describing their chemistry as ‘instant’.

Reflecting on her difficult labour experience and taking on the new role of being a mother, Charlotte says it has completely transformed her.

She explained: ‘It’s a whole new chapter that’s both grounding and expansive in a feeling of overwhelming love.

‘It’s challenging, humbling, and incredibly joyful. It changes how I see everything, including my work.

‘I see the world in a completely different way now. Now I understand when people say motherhood changes your life.’ 

She also addressed the intense pressure on actresses to ‘bounce back’ physically after giving birth.

‘That pressure is always there,’ she said. ‘But honestly, for the first time, my shape isn’t my priority at all. My baby is.’ 

Charlotte, who was previously engaged to British director Neil Marshall, 55 – best known for The Descent and Game of Thrones – filmed three projects while expecting Hunter.

She said of shooting The Night Driver with Josh Lucas, 54: ‘I was slightly concerned because I had to wear a very slender costume. But I just about managed to get away with it.’

Filmed in New Mexico, the film follows a travelling pharmaceutical salesman – played by Josh – who survives a run-in with a psychotic killer, only to be stalked relentlessly across the country.

Charlotte plays Max, a struggling single mother and bartender with a dark past whose brief encounter with the salesman changes her life forever.

She also shot Don’t Forget Me Tomorrow while was four months pregnant – a film she both starred in and wrote through her own production company.

‘I was wearing a lot of hats on that one,’ she admitted. ‘Toward the end of the shoot, the director came up to me and said, “How many months are you?”

‘Even though I tried to hide it, he said he noticed me rubbing my belly a few times – in a way only a mother does.’

Charlotte made international headlines in 2020 when a secret affair with married NBCUniversal vice-chairman Ron Meyer came to light, triggering his abrupt resignation.

The saga left her at the centre of an unwanted global firestorm involving studio powerbrokers and high-stakes corporate fallout.

Refusing to let the scandal hinder her career, Charlotte continued to land major roles while also establishing herself as a writer and producer.

Charlotte will star in the upcoming comedy slasher Jackie the Stripper – due to be released later this year – playing the lead, Jackie, alongside Patsy Kensit and Harry Potter star James Phelps.

While she is ‘proud’ that she worked through her pregnancy, she is now ‘taking time to be with my baby’ before returning to business as usual.

She added that she’s cocerned by challenges facing working mothers in the industry.

Charlotte said: ‘There’s definitely more that can be done.

‘On-set childcare would be a huge step forward. It would encourage mothers to go back to work sooner and feel a lot more comfortable balancing both roles. It shouldn’t be an either-or choice.’