Tim Tebow and Wife Demi-Leigh Are Expecting First Baby Together: 'So Over the Moon' (Exclusive)

01/14/2025 12:31 PM

"When I'm with her and I see the belly growing, then it just becomes so real," Tebow tells PEOPLE exclusively of becoming a first-time dad with wife Demi-Leigh

Team Tebow is expanding!

Tim Tebow and his wife Demi-Leigh are expecting their first baby together, they share with PEOPLE exclusively while expressing their joy at becoming first-time parents ahead of their public announcement on Instagram.

"We are just so excited and so over the moon to be having a baby together," Demi-Leigh, 29, tells PEOPLE of her first-time pregnancy with the retired NFL star, 37, who says he's "honored for the privilege of getting the responsibility and the joy of being mom and dad."

Tim and Demi-Leigh, who first met in 2018 and wed in January 2020, are ready to take the "deep friendship" and "roots" they've built in their relationship and bring what they've learned from the last five years into parenthood.

"I'm so grateful because I just couldn't imagine a better life partner to do life with first and foremost," says the former Miss Universe, who's now 16 weeks pregnant. "To be able to raise a little tiny human being together. I'm so grateful that Tim is my husband... that we get to do parenting together."

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Related: Tim Tebow and Demi-Leigh Tebow's Relationship Timeline

The former NFL quarterback, who was calling in from Dallas amid his college football playoff responsibilities, says the thought of becoming a dad hasn't yet settled in completely. "But when I'm with her and I see the belly growing, then it just becomes so real," he raves.

"I feel like every time I say, 'Tim's going to be a dad!' it feels so surreal," Demi-Leigh adds, who notes they're coming up on celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary on Jan. 20.

The soon-to-be parents then rattled off sweet words to each other about why they'd make a great mom and dad. Tim, who without hesitation volunteered to go first, says his wife "is going to be a fierce defender and protector."

He explains, "She will be extremely loyal and loving. Demi is someone that is extremely determined. When she sets her mind to something, she goes all the way in — and I know that she will do that as a mom, too."

Related: Demi-Leigh Tebow Says She Explores Her 'Purpose' in Debut Memoir A Crown That Lasts (Exclusive)

Demi says Tim is "extremely gracious," which is why he is such a great husband and will make him "such a great dad." She explains, "Our Savior gave us the ultimate amount of grace, and I see Tim live that out as a walking example every single day... that is something that will be so instrumental."

"Tim is one of the most thoughtful people. He is literally one of the best gift-givers I have ever met," she continues. "I just think that he's one of the wisest people I have met — and I know that's a bold statement to make, but I truly believe it. Just in the way that he approaches every single day."

Demi says Tim's "thoughtfulness" and "how he seeks out wise counsel" is what she's "learned" from him and hopes to instill those traits in their baby. "I'm excited to be able to teach to our child one day," she adds.

As for how she's feeling at this stage in her pregnancy journey, Demi says she's "feeling a lot better" compared to her first trimester, which she admits "wasn't super fun" at the time. "The amount of tiredness that you feel is just unfathomable," she's learned.

Still, Demi shares, "I have loved being pregnant... I have gained the absolute just new respect for moms, especially moms that are working." She credits being "gracious" to herself, "knowing that this is the most important thing that my body can do right now," she says.

When Tim found out the news of his wife's pregnancy, he recalls it completely changing his perspective on how he viewed life. "It's just amazing how it also reprioritizes and changes what you put an emphasis on and what you value most," he says of his new responsibility.

"News like that just supersedes the level of importance and the level of joy that you have," he adds. "It's just so cool."