In a quiet corner of Primrose Hill in London, on a starry evening in May 2025, Dee Koppang, the acclaimed Netflix director behind The Crown and Bridgerton, shared a moment that would touch hearts around the world. Married to This Morning presenter Dermot O'Leary, 51, and mother to son Kasper, born in 2020, Dee, 46, has always balanced her soaring career with a private family life. On May 18, 2025, she revealed the name of their second child – a daughter – in an emotional Instagram post, revealing a name inspired by a cherished Norwegian memory from her heritage. The story behind the choice, which is tied to love, loss and the Nordic sky, has touched fans and friends, including Alison Hammond and Holly Willoughby of This Morning, proving that a name can have lifelong meaning.
A new chapter in a family
Dee and Dermot, who have been married since 2012, are known for their simple devotion, often sharing glimpses of their life with Kasper, who gave birth during lockdown in what Dermot described as a “life-changing” birth in a 2020 Sunday Times interview. Their second pregnancy, kept private after the birth journey Dee alluded to in a 2024 Instagram post about their “miraculous journey,” culminated in the birth of their daughter on May 10, 2025. The couple, who split their time between London and Dee’s native Norway, chose a name that honored both their love and Dee’s roots, a decision Dee shared with a vulnerability that reflected her gift for storytelling.
The reveal came via an Instagram video, filmed in their garden under a twilight sky. Dee, wearing a flowing cream jumper, held the baby, wrapped in a blue blanket, while Dermot, wearing a navy blue coat, held Kasper, 4, next to her. The clip, set to a gentle piano cover of ABBA's “Slipping Through My Fingers”—a nod to Dee's Scandinavian ties—shows Dee speaking softly. “Our daughter, Sigrid Aurora O'Leary, is here,” she says, her voice breaking. “Her name carries a memory that means so much to us.” The post, titled “Sigrid Aurora, our northern lights,” has garnered 500,000 likes, with fans eager to know the story behind the name.
A Norwegian Memory Revealed
In a follow-up interview with Vogue, Dee, whose Norwegian heritage shaped her childhood summers in Bergen, shared the deep roots of the name. “Sigrid means ‘victory’ and ‘beautiful’ in Old Norse,” she explains, “a tribute to my grandmother, Sigrid, who taught me strength through stories of her life in wartime Norway.” Aurora, which means “dawn,” was inspired by a 2011 trip to Tromsø, where Dee and Dermot, then newly engaged, witnessed the Northern Lights. “We stood under this blue and purple sky, holding hands,” Dee recalls. “Dermot proposed that night, and we promised to name our daughter after that miracle.”
That memory carries deeper weight. Dee reveals that throughout their fertility struggles, recorded in a 2024 diary she kept, she revisited photos of those auroras, finding hope in their glow. “When Sigrid Aurora was born, we felt like the sky was guiding her,” she said. The name also ties into Dermot’s Irish heritage, with “Aurora” recalling Celtic myths of light, a nod to his parents, Maria and Sean, who he honored in a 2024 OK! Magazine interview about how supportive their family has been. Fans on X were stunned, with one posting, “Sigrid Aurora for Dee’s grandmother and their proposal under the Northern Lights? I’m crying! #SigridAurora.”
A connection this morning
The announcement echoed with This Morning fans, as Dermot shared the news on the May 19 show, co-hosted with Alison Hammond. The set, decked in blues to match Sigrid's blanket, glowed as Dermot, beaming, recounted the name's story. “Dee’s Norwegian roots and that Tromsø night—it’s all in Sigrid Aurora,” he said, his voice thick, echoing his 2023 This Morning tears over a viewer’s story. Alison, who’d gifted a locket for another fictional family milestone in your prior requests, presented a tiny knit onesie embroidered with “Sigrid Aurora” and a star, crafted by her Birmingham friend. “For your little light,” Alison said, hugging Dermot, her warmly recalling their 2024 Mary’s Meals appeal.
Holly Willoughby, a guest that day, added a surprise: a donation in Sigrid's name to Save the Children's Norway, supporting education for girls, tying to Dee's heritage and her 2022 work with UNICEF. “Sigrid’s name means victory—let’s give that to others,” said Holly, her Dancing on Ice poise shining. Dermot, who’d navigated This Morning’s 2023 presenter shifts, clutched the onesie, saying, “Dee’s gonna love this, Al, Holly.” The segment, watched by 1.2 million, per ITV, sparked applause, with Josie Gibson tweeting, “Sigrid Aurora O’Leary! That name’s pure magic! .”
An Emotional Wave
The reveal went viral, with Dee’s Instagram clip hitting 3 million views and #SigridAurora trending. An X post read, “Dee Koppang naming her girl Sigrid Aurora after her grandma and the Northern Lights? Dermot’s lucky stars aligned! .” Another fan tweeted, “Alison’s onesie and Holly’s donation for Sigrid? This Morning’s family is everything! .” The Telegraph ran a story, “Dee Koppang’s Baby Name Ties to Norwegian Roots,” highlighting 4 million social media mentions. Fans, inspired, donated £60,000 to Save the Children, per the charity’s report, with one X user writing, “Named my daughter Aurora after Dee’s story! #SigridAurora.”
Dee shared a follow-up post: Sigrid in the onesie, Kasper kissing her forehead, captioned, “Our victory, our dawn. Thanks, This Morning family.” Dermot told Radio Times, “Sigrid Aurora’s name is Dee’s love letter to Norway and our journey. Alison and Holly made it shine.” Kasper, calling himself “Sigrid’s big brother,” drew a Northern Lights sketch for her nursery, hung beside a photo from Tromsø, tying the family’s story to that starry night.
A Name That Lights the Way
The impact of the revelation is growing. Dermot and Dee launched This Morning's “Aurora Fund” on 1 June 2025, raising £120,000 for girls' education in Norway and the UK, with Holly and Alison hosting a segment showing Sigrid's jumpsuit in the studio. Fans on X caught on to the sentiment, with one writing, “Sigrid Aurora O'Leary, born of the Norwegian sky and the power of Dee, is pure poetry. Alison's gift proves it!” Another tweeted, “From fertility struggles to Sigrid's light, Dee and Dermot's story, with Holly's gentle touch, is why we love them! .” As Sigrid slept in Dee's arms, her name – a beacon of victory and dawn – showed that memories, like the northern lights, can guide a family home, illuminating hearts everywhere.