Friends can become family when you click – and one went above and beyond for her pals.

Stuart Armfield-Haugen, a native of Hayes, Middlesex, and Francis Armfield-Haugen, originally from Llandovery, Wales, have been together for almost 14 years. They met through mutual friends many years ago, and have been together ever since.

This year their dream came true as they welcomed a little one into the world. Their family was able to become complete thanks to a very special friend, and they now have over 1.1million followers on TikTok ( @stuartandfrancis ) who love to follow their story.

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The couple have a son named Rio who was born via surrogate in November 2021. But their journey to parenthood hasn't always been easy, as they were about to go through the full process in America before their good friend, Sam, offered to be their surrogate.

Sam already had two children before agreeing to carry the baby, and both families continue to be in each other’s lives as their journeys progress. Only one month after having Rio, Stuart and Francis decided they wanted to go through the process again, but there were so many things to consider – mainly, they had to create more embryos and had to move quickly with this, as they wanted to use the same egg donor so the children would have a genetic connection.

At the time their close friend, Carley, watched their journey with Sam online and thought it was amazing. She knew it was something she would love to do for them.

Once she realised her husband and children were open to it, she reached out to Stuart and Francis, and said she'd love to do it for them. Perhaps seeing the couple so in love with each other sealed the deal, as the pair admit it truly was love at first sight.

You could say their friends made their dream of having a family possible, and now their picture is complete.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Star, Stuart said: "Having children is an incredible blessing, and I genuinely believe that Francis and I have become an even stronger team because of it. Working together to provide the best life for both of our kids has been an amazing journey.

"Rio, at this moment, is living proof of just how much he's enjoying life to the fullest. His boundless happiness and zest for life are truly inspiring. We're eagerly looking forward to instilling our positive values in both Rio and Rebel."

Though the couple's story isn't something you hear every day, they say they've been "fortunate" that people have been so kind towards them. They think this is because people can see how much they love the little ones, and taking to social media to share their journey has helped.

Millions now watch them parent after following their quest to find happiness. They had always wanted children but, growing up, they said it seemed "impossible" for a gay couple like them to make it a reality.

"Even people that may not have thought a two-dad family could work have changed their minds whilst watching our content," he added.

"The best thing for Francis and I was introducing Rebel to Rio – my heart couldn’t take it. He was so excited to see her, and it honestly was so cute. I just loved every single second.

"That’s been our favourite thing so far. But looking forward I can’t wait to see what her character is like.

"When we first had Rio we didn’t realise how incredible it would be to watch him grow and get to know his little personality, knowing Rebel has that same journey ahead of her as well is so exciting."

Even though things all worked out well, the pair admitted when a pal first offered to be a surrogate they were "uncertain". They planned to go through the whole process in America, as they worried involving a friend may affect the dynamics.

Then, the unexpected happened, and the world went into lockdown. As there were so many travel restrictions in place, they realised that if they pursued the American plan, they wouldn't get to meet the surrogate until after she gave birth.

Now they are blissfully happy together as a family, but there are no plans to make it any bigger in the future.

When asked if they hope to have any more children, Stuart said: "No is the answer! We are 100% finished having babies – we are just looking forward to all the fun adventures we are going to go on as a family."

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