Jeremy McConnell’s pain after ex Stephanie Davis names ‘their’ baby after ‘random lad who chatted her up in a club’
HEARTBROKEN Jeremy McConnell has opened up about ex-girlfriend Stephanie Davis' 'disgusting' decision to name 'their' infant son after a random lad she met in a nightclub.
The 26-year-old has faced an agonising nine month wait to discover if he is the father of little Caben-Albi, who was born on 13 January.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun online, he said: "Regardless of the name, if she met a fella on a night out and named the baby after him then it's disgusting and hurtful.
"If that's my child, he's been named after a guy she met in a club and I'll be calling him that for the rest of his life.
"I wish she could have waited until after the DNA test.
"It doesn't matter what the name it, it's the principle."
Just like her legion of devoted fans, Jeremy found of the tot's name when he appeared on the cover of OK! Magazine last week - and it was also the first time he had seen the baby.
He smiled: "The baby is beautiful, he is perfect. But the first time I saw him was in a shop."
It was a surreal and bittersweet moment for him, but Jeremy claims he had "prepared myself for that months ago."
He added: "The child is beautiful I can see a resemblance to myself. But he looks more like my sister.
"He looks like me and I want to be the father, but I just need that reassurance, just for myself."
Jeremy, who was visibly moved as he spoke about Steph's infant son, went on to claim that he hasn't got a particular name he would prefer the tot to be called.
However, he believes that if his ex of four months was so certain that the baby was his, she could have involved him somehow.
He adds that having doubts about the baby's paternity also could have meant she waited before deciding on a name.
Jeremy said: "I would certainly still - even if I begrudged someone so much or hated them like she says - I'd still have waited for the DNA test before deciding on a name.
"I think if she was so positive that I was the dad she would have asked me to be involved in the decision."
However, Jeremy doesn't dislike the unusual moniker, which is made partly of the charismatic stranger's name and Steph's beloved grandad's.
He said: "It rolls off the tongue... Cabes, Cab."
Jeremy also shared his sadness that if Caben-Albi is his son he won't share his surname - and he worries that he won't be named on the baby's birth certificate.
He said: "She won't have put my name on the birth certificate.
"I want to do the paternity test and find out for sure I am the baby's father and then we can talk about stuff like that."
Yesterday The Sun online revealed that Jeremy believes he IS the father of Steph's baby, and hopes that he is, too.
Admitting that he can see a resemblance between him and little Caben, he begged his former love to give him a DNA test so he can step up and be a good dad.
Explaining that he "flew home from Thailand the day the baby was born", Jeremy is eager to be a positive influence and role model in Caben's life if the DNA test comes back positive.
He said: "The baby is only a few weeks old, there is still time for me to bond with him and be the first person he ever falls in love with.
"I'm not a feckless father, it upsets me that people think me I'm that kind of man.
"I loved Steph very much, but our relationship had turned so toxic I had to walk away to protect her and her - our - unborn child."
The new mum and former Hollyoaks actor had previously been really vocal about how she would name her first born after her dead grandad, and at one point even toyed with giving him the middle name 'Patrick' as a homage to his Irish roots.
Back in August, a few months after revealing she was pregnant via a promptly deleted comment on her ex's Instagram, Steph jetted off for a fun girls' holiday.
While away, she explained how she met a man in a bar who would go on to play a HUGE role in her son's life - he would inspire his name.
Writing in her OK! mag blog in August, she revealed: "I've picked my boy's name! It's not Albi but that will definitely be a middle name.
"I'm going to keep it a secret for now but I will say it's something different – I've not heard it before! It's like a movie star name.
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"We got it when I was getting chatted up with my friends recently and he said his name when he left – we just all looked at each other and knew, so thanks to him!
"My mum loves it but my brothers weren't so sure to start with – but I think they want a proper lad's name."
On Wedneday morning, Jeremy
JEREMY McConnell has taken a paternity test live on Wednesday's This Morning - as he desperately tries to find out if he is the father of Stephanie Davis' baby.
The former Celebrity Big Brother star joined hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on the show to discuss his ongoing paternity battle with his ex-girlfriend, who gave birth to son Caben-Albi last month.
Jeremy took the DNA test live on air with the help of AlphaBiolabs DNA Testing, the same company used by the Jeremy Kyle Show.
The brand was called to the This Morning studios at 9am to take a swab from the Irish model, with the results set to take 24 hours once a sample is taken from baby Caben - if Steph agrees to it.
Speaking to the hosts, Jeremy said: "I’ve never once said I wasn’t the father, I’m not fame hungry.
"I want to set the record straight, I just said there was a month from April to May I didn’t know about and I want reassurance.
"When she makes it public it has to be dealt with, I have to defend myself.
"I hope I am the dad, people are thinking that I’m a bad person, thinking I won’t step up and I would.
"I want to be a dad I want to stand up [and be there] but I’m not being given the opportunity."
But after the 23-year-old issued her ex with a legal document which would stop him talking about the outcome of any DNA test, Phillip told Jeremy he shouldn't sign it.
Holly started off by saying: "This is tricky because we have seen this contract and we can’t discuss it because of the terms of the contract."
Phillip continued: "The contract says we can’t discuss the contract. So we can’t discuss that.
What I can say, and we have looked at this professionally as a team, what we can say is that the word we would use for that contract, if it were me, and I wouldn’t sign it, is unreasonable.
"Because the terms of that contract in my eyes and in terms of our legal team here and the people that we’ve discussed it with, it has an impact on your entire life."
The test came the day after Jeremy broke a nine month vow of silence to plead with the former Hollyoaks actress to finally let him know if he is the father of little Caben-Albi, the son she gave birth on January 13th.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun online, Jeremy begged the 23-year-old to stop playing games and confirm who the little boy's dad is once and for all.
He said: "I do believe I am the father. I want the baby to be mine, I can see a resemblance.
"I never said the baby wasn't mine, all I said was that there was a doubt because she was with other men in the first two weeks of April.
"Before we went to Cape Verde, we were broken up for two weeks - and I have no idea who she was sleeping with then."
Jeremy claims that during their many splits, Stephanie would contact him to gloat about spending time and sleeping with other men - and admits that he also behaved badly.
He adds that their relationship went toxic just weeks after leaving the Celebrity Big Brother house after the couple fell in love in front of the eyes of the nation - including Steph's then-boyfriend Sam Reece.
Away from the show, the actress struggled to deal with Jez's new status as a reality TV sex symbol with jealous rows and "emotional blackmail" forcing them apart.
In fact the on-off nature of their relationship allowed for infidelity on both sides, and Jeremy admits that his "wandering eye" didn't help reassure his fragile girlfriend.
The pair finally split after a row at a nightclub in Basingstoke on April 29. This is the last time Jeremy and Stephanie saw one another.
Steph told Jeremy that she was pregnant a month after their bitter split at the end of April 2016.
Jeremy smiles as he recalls the moment that Steph rang him to tell him that he was to become a dad.
He said: "I was delighted. I was buzzing. I told her I loved her and I would be there for her.
"My initial reaction was to go straight to her... but I didn't.
"Maybe I regret it a little now, but I know I've done the right thing.
"Things were so bad between us that going back to her could have been harmful for her and the baby.
"I loved her so much, I didn't want to take that risk."
Since Stephanie told the world she was pregnant in a hastily deleted comment on Jez's Instagram, he has stayed away from her and stayed silent.
In part he claims this is because he didn't want to rile the fragile star and cause her and the baby undue stress, but also because he felt he couldn't reach out to her privately without her relaying their conversation to her fans on Twitter.
Jeremy said: "It's been killing me to stay quiet.
"People think I'm in denial, but I just want reassurance. That's it.
"If I'm the dad I will be delighted and I'll be civil with Steph. I want us to work together and do the best for our son.
"But she's making it really hard for me at the moment."
One of the reasons Jeremy thinks Steph is delaying giving him a paternity test is because she was hurt so badly by their split that she is enjoying allowing him to be portrayed as an uncaring, feckless father - which is something he strenuously denies.
He said: "She's happy getting the sympathy.
"She's getting a TV show out of it, she's taking the baby on a free holiday, she's got her OK! deals, her magazine spreads... I just think it's horrible parading him around.
"The baby has only just come out of the womb and already she's saying on a video that he's already had his first modelling shoot?
"I would not be in to it. It's just money making.
"She doesn't want me involved.
"Everything I see it's all about 'me and the baby'.
"She's parading him around like he was the FA Cup. Stephanie is living off me and the baby, simple."
A representative for Stephanie Davis disputed Jeremy's claims of infidelity in a strongly worded statement.
They said: "Jeremy has spent nine months claiming he isn't the father of baby Caben, to suddenly announce there is a similarity shows he is clearly deluded and feeling the pressure.
"Stephanie was at all times faithful to Jeremy. She confirmed to Jeremy that she was pregnant ten days after the relationship had ended.
"Any images or video that Jeremy refers to are 2-3 weeks after Stephanie had announced that she was pregnant and any suggestion that she was unfaithful to him are to detract away from his numerous infidelities whilst in the relationship.
"Jeremy has caused Stephanie massive amount of stress, pressure and upset throughout her pregnancy, ruining what for most women is one of the most special times of their lives.
"Quite frankly he should be ashamed of himself."
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