Back to the grind.

Brian Dowling's sister Aoife has marked her last day of "freedom" as she returns to work following maternity leave. Heading back to the aul 9-5, Aoife reflected on her time off and admitted it flew by and she feels that she was barely off. Aoife shared a snap of herself taking in the sunshine on a bridge as she held a coffee cup, she looked back on the crazy few months she's had recently. Saying that the "last nearly 7 months have literally flown by", Aoife joked: "If someone told me I was only off for a week, I would believe them." Brian welcomed a baby girl, Blake Maria Rose Dowling Gourounlian, with his husband Arthur Gourounlian last year. Aoife acted as a surrogate for the couple's first child, who was born in September 2022. With Aoife being their surrogate, the presenter has thanked her for giving them "the gift of life." Sharing a heartwarming statement about his sister at the time, Brian wrote: "You are an ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE HUMAN. From our first jokingly conversations about [surrogacy] back in 2015 when you moved in with us in London, to our more serious chars about it in January 2021 in the middle of the pandemic when we would go on our daily walks. “This has been in the works for YEARS. But everything happens when it’s supposed to and for us, everything really clicked. Your dedication and focus has been out of this world. "You have also put yourself out there publicly for everyone to voice their opinions about this & you never faltered. “Even the vile/disgusting messages we all received just encouraged us to be more open regarding our surrogacy journey. "From dramas regarding trying to get you on hormones, especially here in Ireland where there’s no legislation regarding surrogacy and the lack of any real information and guidance. “To numerous conversations about your cycle and when you would or wouldn’t get it. "To the night of mum’s birthday dinner last December when we made it by minutes to the pharmacy and purchased the very last ovulation test,” Brian continued. "We have been THROUGH IT ALL. At one point we actually thought it wasn’t going to happen and Arthur and I debated stopping everything for a few months & you were like NO we have this, so let’s keep going. “And boy did we keep going. To that magic day last December 30th when those 4 pregnancy tests all turned positive. "Then there was the situation of getting you to ‘hide’ the pregnancy until a time when it was safe and we were happy to reveal the MOST AMAZING NEWS. "Plus let’s be honest, there were accusations & rumours during this time also and you handled it all like a pro. “You glided through your pregnancy with such joy and elegance, and overcame obstacles in your way medically or other wise. Just when we thought we couldn’t be in awe of you anymore, you handled our delivery day last Thursday, September 1, like a BOSS.”

Related Links:

Brian Dowling and Arthur Gourounlian considering legal action over trolls

Una Healy meets baby Blake during brainstorming session with Arthur Gourounlian

Viewers in floods of tears over Brian Dowling and Arthur Gourounlian's doc