Baby Girl on the Way for Shanola Hampton

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There’s a baby on the way for this Shameless star.

Shanola Hampton and her husband Daren Dukes are expecting their first child together — a girl, PEOPLE confirms exclusively.

“We are beyond excited to expand our family and begin this new chapter,” the happy couple, whose daughter is due in late January, tell PEOPLE in a statement. “Words can’t describe the joy our hearts feel.”

On the Showtime hit, Hampton, 36, plays Veronica Fisher, the sassy best friend of Emmy Rossum‘s character Fiona Gallagher.

She and Dukes, creator and producer of The Dallas Cowboy Show, have been married for 13 years and currently live in Los Angeles.

The fourth season of Shameless premieres Jan. 12 on Showtime.

— Mary Margaret