Arsenal winger Theo Walcott and his wife Melanie have spoken out over the distressing ordeal they had to go through following the birth of their son Finley . The couple , speaking to Hello ! magazine , learned their newborn baby had a heart defect shortly after his birth just under a year ago . Walcott 's wife said it was 'the longest two and a half hours of our lives ' during Finley 's operation to correct the problem with his heart . Scroll down for video . Theo Walcott and his wife Melanie have spoken out about the birth of their son Finley . Melanie said : 'Finley had a routine check and they found a murmur , which , again is normal . But it should go after 24 hours . 'But it did n't and it was discovered he had a valve that was n't working properly . Photo of Finley that Theo posted to Facebook shortly after he was born last year . 'Basically , the heart was having to work really hard to get the blood to his lungs , which meant that the right side of his heart was getting bigger . 'Theo and I were so new to it all , you suddenly feel so vulnerable because it is all taken out of your control . ' She continued : 'You 've got this little person who is the most precious thing in the world and who you have this overwhelming urge to protect . It was a scary and emotional time . 'It was the longest two and a half hours of our lives but the staff were fantastic . Theo and I just tried to keep strong for each other . ' Finley , who will turn one on April 10 , has made a full recovery since the operation at Royal Brompton hospital in London . During the interview , Melanie revealed that Finley is following in his father 's footsteps by kicking footballs from his baby walker . She also said the pair have matching dimples and that they both scrunch up their toes when they are relaxed . Theo married Mel , his childhood sweetheart , in June 2013 at Castello di Vincigliata , near Florence in Italy . The footballer had the castle location tattooed on his arm as a romantic reminder of their special day . The couple started dating in 2004 after meeting at the WestQuay shopping centre in Southampton - when he was playing for the seaside town 's youth team . Melanie and Arsenal star Walcott were left scared and emotional after the birth of Finley on April 10 , 2014 . Theo and Melanie at Baden-Baden , Germany , in 2006 . Melanie was billed as 'the new Coleen McLoughlin ' by the media when Theo was selected by Sven-Göran Eriksson for the England squad in 2006 . However , Melanie never courted the press and kept a relatively low-profile compared to other WAGS and focused on her career as a sports physiotherapist . The couple got engaged on New Year 's Eve 2012 at their Hertfordshire home .
Theo Walcott 's wife Melanie gave birth to son Finley on April 10 , 2014 . Finley needed operation in London hospital to correct heart defect . Arsenal star Walcott and his partner felt 'vulnerable ' and 'emotional '