Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell’s widower, Eldridge Toney, is expecting his first baby with fiancée Jessie English.
“We are highly excited!! I’ve had the step-dad title for years, and I finally will have a child of my own,” Toney exclusively shared with Luxury Handbag Shopping on Monday, January 26. “I think I will make a great father. We are looking forward to building a life together and pushing forward. We have our goals of owning land and a home together with lots of animals. I’m not getting any younger so we think it’s time to grow what we have together. We appreciate all the support from everyone.”
Over the weekend, English announced she is pregnant when she posted ultrasound pictures of the pregnancy.
“We are extremely excited to announce!!” she wrote via Instagram on Sunday, January 25. “Baby Toney due September!!!🩷💙👶🏼.”
The news comes weeks after Luxury Handbag Shopping exclusively confirmed that Toney and English were engaged after meeting on Tinder in March 2025.
“I finally worked up the courage to propose on Christmas Day,” Toney told Us days after his proposal. “Our future together is bright from what we have talked about and how things are going now. I know a lot of people may say I’m moving on fast, but at the end of the day, Anna wouldn’t want me sitting around in misery.”
Cardwell died in December 2023 at the age of 29 after being diagnosed with stage IV adrenal carcinoma.
Toney was able to build a relationship with Cardwell’s children, Kaitlyn, 12, and Kylee, 9, who she welcomed from past relationships.
Even after Cardwell’s death, Toney vowed to maintain a bond with his stepdaughters.
“If I have any opportunity to kind of make their lives better, even if it’s just a little bit, I’m going to do my best to do that,” he shared with People in June 2025. “Because I know that’s what Anna would have wanted. I’ve been in their lives for this long. There’s no point in me leaving just because Anna’s gone. Like I’m not, I’m not stepping out of the picture.”
Toney continued, “I want to be a part of their lives. Yeah, I’m not going anywhere. I want to stay in their lives until I’m gone.”
English has been supportive of Toney as he continues his healing and grieving journey.
When celebrating his engagement, Toney said his partner “respects my past and the things I have dealt with 100 percent.”
“She knows I have good days and bad days when it comes to missing Anna and she is extremely supportive,” he added. “She has met Anna’s family and they like her a lot.”
Fans met Toney when he appeared on Here Comes Honey Boo Boo with Cardwell and her family. The couple started dating in 2017 before getting married in March 2023.
After Cardwell’s death, Toney shared a glimpse into his grieving journey on social media.
“Losing my wife was the hardest chapter of my life. The grief, the silence, and the empty spaces she once filled were overwhelming. There were days I didn’t think I’d ever feel whole again,” he wrote via Instagram in July 2025. “But healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means honoring the love we shared while finding the strength to keep living — truly living. She would have wanted that. Not for me to stay in sorrow, but to smile again, love again, and build something meaningful from the pain.”
Toney continued, “To anyone facing similar pain: be gentle with yourself. Healing has no timeline. But hope, joy, and love can return — even if it looks different than before.”
