It has been a devastating year for Sharon Osbourne following the death of her beloved husband four months ago.
But now it appears that, at last, there may be some more joyful days ahead for the former X Factor judge. In exclusive pictures published today by the Daily Mail, it seems that the wife of her only son Jack, Aree Gearhart, may be expecting the couple’s second child.
Aree, 34, who met Jack on a dating app in 2019 before secretly marrying him in 2023, was spotted in Queensland, Australia, cheering on Jack, 40, as he takes part in I’m A Celeb. And there was an apparent baby bump under her Aztec-patterned jumpsuit.
There has been much chatter among the families and friends of the other contestants, who have themselves noticed the baby bump.
A source who knows Sharon, 73, says that she ‘is in need of a smile’ following Ozzy’s death from a heart attack in July aged 79. She is heartbroken at his death, which came much earlier than she expected.
So what better to cheer her up than a younger sibling for Jack’s three-year-old daughter, Maple Artemis?
‘Sharon is devastated, she is so sad about Ozzy’s death so any news like this would bring a much needed smile to her face.
‘She adores her grandchildren and should another be coming along that would be wonderful for her.’
Aree is staying with the rest of the I’m A Celeb contestants’ friends and families at a five-star Marriott Hotel, as they wait to greet their loved ones as and when they’re voted off the ITV reality show.
But Sharon is notably absent from Australia. She hasn’t flown Down Under after making a vow stay with Ozzy at their sprawling home in Buckinghamshire, where he is buried under a crab apple tree in the garden. Her promise has meant that she also hasn’t visited her daughters Kelly, 41, and Aimee, 42, who live in Los Angeles.
‘Sharon just doesn’t want to leave him,’ says a friend.
Sharon has stayed out of the public eye since her husband of 43 years’ death – except to thank people for their ‘overwhelming love and support’ for their family.
However, there have been indications in recent weeks that Sharon’s ready to step back into the spotlight. She appeared on an episode of The Osbournes podcast, which aired in November with Jack and Kelly to discuss Ozzy’s final days and his legacy. And last week, she made her first public appearance since Ozzy’s funeral at an event in London with her daughter Kelly.
Her son Jack too has been struggling with his father’s death. In the Jungle, he opened up to his campmates, telling them: ‘It was definitely a shock. We knew he was sick for a while but we didn’t know it would be that quick.’
He became tearful when speaking to his close friend and campmate, comedian Eddie Kadi, as he admitted he missed Ozzy: ‘Just his energy. He had this force, so hard to describe, like he swallowed the galaxy and didn’t know what to do with it.’
He added: ‘He’d be so supportive of this.’ Then he added: ‘I’m still navigating it all… it’s been three, nearly four months, so it’s still pretty fresh.’
As well as his daughter Maple with Aree, Jack has Pearl, 13, Andy, ten, and Minnie, seven, with his ex-wife Lisa Stelly, who he split from in 2018, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’.
Jack, who grew up in front of the cameras in the early noughties on his parents’ successful reality show The Osbournes, has been described by his fellow campmates as ‘everyone’s rock’ in the Jungle. No doubt when he’s back with his mother, he and the new baby will be a rock for her, too.
