Lacey Turner Confesses Awkward Moment to EastEnders Boss After ‘Taking the Mick

EastEnders actress Lacey Turner has spoken of her fear about making an “awkward” phone call after returning to Albert Square following the birth of her first child

EastEnders actress Lacey Turner opened up about returning to the set of Albert Square after maternity leave – only to be already pregnant again.

The star, who plays Stacey Slater, recently gave birth to her third child, Gipsy Olive. She is also a mum to another daughter called Dusty Violet and a son named Trilby.

She gave birth to Dusty in July 2019 and she ended up taking nine months of maternity leave which was stretched to a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. And this meant that by the time she finally got back to work, she was already pregnant with Trilby.

She has now opened up about the guilt she felt on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast where she shared: “I went back pregnant! Imagine that phone call?

“I phoned Kate Oates (EastEnders producer) and I said, ‘I don’t really know how to say this’ and she was like, ‘Don’t worry I know what you are going to say’ and she was lovely.

“But I felt like I was taking the mick if I took too long off. So I had Trilby in the February and I came back in the August.”

Despite feeling guilty about being away from work, Lacey’s commitment to the job has been unmatched. After all, she recently took part in the show’s live 40th anniversary episode just weeks after giving birth to Gipsy Olive.

Lacey, 37, described being desperate to take part in it and recalling an earlier conversation with an EastEnders boss, she shared: “I said, ‘Listen, whatever you are doing for the live, I want to be part of it.’

“I missed the last one and I missed the one before that and I loved doing the 25th – I really enjoyed it and I wanted to be a part of it.”

However, she also revealed her heartbreak and how she “couldn’t speak” after being told the devastating storyline involving her co-star James Bye who plays Martin Fowler.

And as well as showing her loyalty by returning so soon after welcoming her third baby, she has also filmed many scenes while heavily pregnant.

Laughing, she explained why she likes working before giving birth, saying: “I think it is actually harder being at home! If you are at home I have to bend down and pick all the L.OL. dolls up off the floor, the lego.

“[At work] you sit down, your tea is hot, you can go to the toilet on your own, so actually, it is easier. Someone gets you a chair, at home they don’t even look at you, they don’t care. ‘Muuum, muuum.’ So I just thought I will stay there as long as possible.”