Cate Blanchett and husband Andrew Upton have expanded their family. A spokeswoman for Blanchett announced on Friday that the couple have adopted a baby girl.
The announcement was made through Blanchett’s representative, Lisa Kasteler, who gave few details aside from correcting the child’s name, which had been misreported.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Lisa Kasteler” author_title=”Blanchett’s spokeswoman”]
Because the baby’s name has been misreported, Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton have asked that we announce the correct name. Her name is Edith Vivian Patricia Upton.
[/quote]
Edith Vivian Patricia Upton joins the family’s three sons: Dashiell John, 13, Roman Robert, 10, and Ignatius Martin, who turns 7 next month. The 45-year-old actress has spoken in the past of her wish to expand her family with Upton, 49.
It’s still unknown if the adoption process was completed in Australia or elsewhere, such as the United States. The adoption will likely once more put a spotlight on the troubles of adopting in Australia, where a record low of just 317 babies were adopted in 2013/2014, a 76% decline from 25 years ago, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
In Australia, lobbyists complain that it is too hard to adopt children in need. In New South Wales, the average wait to move from fostering to adopting a child is four years, and some overseas cases can take up to seven years, despite the fact that over 50,000 children are in out-of-home care in the country and 11,000 have been permanently removed from their homes.
The family has announced they are going to relocate to the United States, as Upton’s term as artistic director at the Sydney Theatre Company ends this year. The news of the adoption was first reported by Australia’s Women’s Weekly.
Blanchett has reportedly told friends that she and her husband, who is a screenwriter and theater producer, are thrilled with the new addition. It’s believed that the girl will be called Vivian for short.
Blanchett stars in the upcoming “Cinderella” from Disney. The actress won her second Academy Award last year for best actress in “Blue Jasmine.”
