This Sister, Sister star is now a father! Marques Houston and his wife, Miya Dickey, welcomed daughter Zara on Thursday, December 2, Us Weekly can exclusively confirm.
“Miya chose the name Zara because she just felt like it was exotic. [There was] no special reason,” Houston, 40, gushed to Us on Wednesday, December 8. “She just wanted our girl to have a memorable name that wasn’t the average name. It still feels surreal, like, it hasn’t set in yet that we are actually not just babysitting one of our friends’ kids. But not getting any sleep definitely reminds us that we are now parents.”
The pair did not publicly announce their pregnancy news prior to their little one’s arrival.
The actor got engaged to the California native, 21, in March 2019 after five months of dating. “She said ‘YES,’” Houston told his Instagram followers at the time.
The couple tied the knot in August 2020 in California, two months after Houston defended their age difference.
“With all that’s going on in the world, my love life shouldn’t be a topic,” the singer wrote via Instagram in June 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. “But since it is, let me just give y’all the facts so you don’t have to ‘allegedly’ believe or create rumors. … This is not music or television, this is my family, my future wife and my life.”
The former IMx member went on to write that he didn’t start dating Dickey until “she was an adult,” writing, “We have [our God] Jehovah’s blessing. So to all the rumors about me, none of it is true! And that’s the story. No twists, no turns, no scandals, just true love. There is nothing that can come to light, because there’s no darkness in my life.”
The Los Angeles called his partner his “forever love” in an April Instagram tribute. “Not perfect, far from it. But two imperfect people with Jehovah No. 1 can be perfect for each other and that’s us,” Houston wrote.
While celebrating their first wedding anniversary four months later, the Somebody Help Me star called his wife “amazing.”
Houston gushed, “Jehovah must love me because he gave me one of his most beautiful creations. I love you forever and ever baby. Being your husband has brought me true happiness. One year, forever to go.”
In a post of her own, Dickey wrote, “I can’t believe it’s already been a year! Thank you for making me the happiest woman alive. I’m forever grateful for the love and friendship we have. It’s all just beginning, so many more years to come.”