Selling the OC star Gio Helou’s relationship with his wife, Tiffany Helou, hasn’t always been smooth sailing — but now they’re stronger than ever.
“I mean, relationships are tough. Marriages are tough. And yeah, we were definitely in a rough spot when my wife was pregnant and I think I was scared and just fearful of the future and the unknown,” Gio exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the Friday, May 3, season premiere. “So we definitely hit the counseling hard and that for us was hugely beneficial.”
Gio noted that his son “changed [his] perspective on a lot of things,” adding, “It’s strengthened my marriage and just made me much more family focused in my life moving forward.”
Gio opened up about his ups and downs with Tiffany during season 3 of the hit Netflix reality show, sharing that the pair went to couple’s counseling ahead of their son’s arrival.
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In September 2023, Gio — who tied the knot with Tiffany in Laguna Beach, California, in August 2020 — shared a selfie of the couple holding their newborn to announce his birth.
“Baby Helou made his debut! Words can’t describe how overjoyed we are to announce the birth of our precious boy, Theodore Georges Helou,” they wrote via Instagram at the time. “Little Teddy was born 9.16.23 at 6:17pm at Hoag Hospital.”
Gio also shared an unaired segment from season 2 of Selling the OC via Instagram, where Tiffany broke the news to him about her pregnancy while the twosome sat outside sipping coffee.
“I found out last week that I’m pregnant,” she said, to which Gio replied, “Are you serious?”
When Tiffany added that she was about five or six weeks along, Gio got up from the table to kiss her. “I knew there was something up with you!” he said between tears.
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The couple publicly announced they were expecting in July 2023. “Secret’s finally out! Baby boy Helou due end of September 🩵,” they wrote via Instagram at the time. “It wasn’t the easiest road (still isn’t) to get here, but God answered our prayers and we can’t wait to meet our baby boy in a few short months.”
Gio and Tiffany’s path to parenthood wasn’t an easy one. The pair tried for a year as well as going to several doctor’s appointments and seeing a fertility specialist. One month after they paused their baby plans to head to Hawaii, Tiffany received the news.
“I took a pregnancy test on a whim, fully expecting it to be negative like the countless others had, and was shocked in the best way,” she told People in July 2023. “I’m terrible at keeping secrets, but somehow I managed to wait a few days to tell Gio, because I wanted it to be really special.”
Selling the OC season 3 is currently streaming on Netflix.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
