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.”

EastEnders has confirmed the identity of Sonia Fowler’s mystery visitor and it’s a huge blast from her past as BBC soap legend Natalie Cassidy’s final scenes loom

EastEnders favourite Sonia Fowler has come face-to-face with her biological dad Terry Cant.

Spoilers previously confirmed that Sonia, played Natalie Cassidy, was set to receive a visit from a mystery person and all was revealed during Monday’s (April 14) episode of the BBC One soap.

Sonia was left reeling when she discovered that her sister Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) had gone behind her back and appeared as a guest on a true crime podcast to speak about Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman).

Sonia was harassed by Mo and Kim’s insensitive tour for true crime fans in today’s episode, and she worried about the impact on baby Julia in future.

After Bianca and Sonia made up, the pair then went to Harry’s Barn for a drink as they began to look to the future.

Bianca later spotted a man from the tour hanging around nearby, so followed him outside. She confronted him, and it soon became clear that the man is her mum Carol’s ex-boyfriend – and Sonia’s biological father – Terry Cant.

He explained that he had decided to reach out after hearing the podcast and make up for lost years, but Bianca urged him to stay away, having heard about his past behaviour from her mum.

However, Terry didn’t listen, as he later appeared at Sonia’s door and introduced himself to his shocked daughter. How will Sonia deal with this latest surprise?

Who is Terry Cant in EastEnders?

Terry is the ex-boyfriend of Carol Jackson (Lindsey Coulson), father of Sonia and grandfather of Bex and Julia.

He had previously never appeared on screen until now but was first mentioned in March 1995.

Terry met Carol in 1984 and they quickly began a relationship. Carol already had two children at the time, Bianca and Robbie Jackson (Dean Gaffney), so Terry became a father figure to them, as neither of their biological fathers were present.

Terry and Carol would always argue, but despite this, they had a daughter together, Sonia.

After Sonia was born, Terry left and Carol’s husband Alan Jackson took her kids in, raising them as his own.

Terry Cant real identity twist

Fans will remember that Sonia searched for Terry’s name on the internet in June 2020 hoping to contact her father, after years of absence.

In May 2021, Terry arrived in the Square to find his daughter, after receiving a letter from her.

They reunite and start to bond, getting to know each other. However, in September of the same year, it was revealed that the man claiming to be Terry is actually Tom (Rocky) Cotton, the dodgy uncle of Dotty Cotton, played by Brian Conley, who planned to scam Sonia out of Dot Cotton’s inheritance.

Who plays Terry Cant?

Terry is played by actor Glen Davies and it’s not the first time he’s been in EastEnders. He has played several small roles from 1995 until 2023 including Mervyn Dale, a journalist with the Walford Gazette.

When Arthur Fowler was arrested for embezzlement in 1995, Mervyn wrote an article about the alleged theft and suggested that Arthur needed the money to pay for the upkeep of his long-term mistress, Christine Hewitt.

Glen has previously appeared in rival ITV soap Emmerdale as an Enforcement Officer in 2013 as also played Silas Jukes in BBC medical drama Doctors in 2018.

EASTENDERS couples are always being put through the wringer but it seems Honey Mitchell and Jay Brown’s romance could be coming to an end as they struggle to move past their recent troubles.

Honey (Emma Barton) has recently taken a backseat to the drama on EastEnders, while her other half, Hay (Jamie Borthwick), has been thrust into the spotlight…

and not for the best of reasons. He is battling to keep the spark alive in his relationship as his battle with Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) continues, as the two of them have been bickering over what is right and wrong. Honey may need to pack her belongings in forthcoming scenes on the BBC serial, as it appears that yet another romance may end in disaster. Could a fresh start be beneficial to her while the ghosts of her past haunt her in Walford?

Honey has taken control of her destiny in recent months, quitting her work at the Minute Mart due to her unpleasant supervisor Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal).

Janet Mitchell (Grace), the mother of two, has started to consider alternative choices for herself after assisting her daughter with her modeling and acting career.

The adored character will have an announcement to make to Jay by the end of next week’s episodes of the evening serial drama.

The young businessman is taken aback when he learns of his partner’s new initiative, and he warns her that it will be difficult for her.

Honey is irritated by her boyfriend’s lack of support and sets out to show him that she can achieve anything she sets her mind to.

This, however, may cause Kate to consider her future in Walford and if she and Jay will be able to stand the test of time.

She may opt to leave the Square, knowing that she needs to start her own business without any hostility.

This would be the end of her relationship, and Jay would be devastated at the idea of losing his best friend.

Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) always warned his ex-wife that their relationship would end badly, but she had no idea how swiftly it would.

As the businessman pleaded for a second opportunity, the mother of two would hold firm and told him she would not change her mind.

This would not be Honey’s first departure from Walford, but it is likely to be her last, as she believes the Square holds too many negative memories of her failed relationships.

She first departed in 2008, when she felt she couldn’t be married to Billy any longer after three years and moved in with her father.

By 2014, she was making cameo appearances on the serial to discuss the custody of their children with her ex-husband and how she intended to send Will Mitchell (Freddie Phillips) to Canada to pursue a modeling career.

It was good at first, but when his contract with the agency was not renewed, Honey chose to return to be closer to the children’s father.

Since then, she’s been a fixture on the Square, starring in a number of high-profile stories, including developing an eating issue and being drugged by a stranger.

Honey’s departure was forced onto the actress who plays her, Emma, by executives who believed it was time for the character to depart.

Although the soap actress was ecstatic to be able to pursue new options in her profession, she expressed her disappointment in having to say goodbye in multiple interviews.

“Despite what others said, I honestly felt there was more mileage for her,” the actress remarked in an interview with the Daily Star.

“However, given that she hasn’t been killed, I suppose there’s still a chance she could return one day.”

“I was in such a bad mood since I had to leave.” She added at the time, “I’ve had a great experience,” and she repeated the remarks in another interview.
“I will miss everyone,” she told The People, “and I already miss going to work every day and being a part of the show.”

“I’m in a bad mood. “I didn’t want to leave,” she remarked, but producers have taken Honey down a variety of paths since her return in 2014.

It might be a complete circle moment for the mother of two to watch her leave as she finally becomes the confident lady viewers have always known her as.

She will have learned a lot about relationships, friendships, and how to stand up to bullies throughout her time in Walford.

It would be sad for the actor who plays Jay, Jamie, to see his co-star leave if she does make an exit as it seems the young soap star has always wanted them to have an on-screen romance.

Explaining how he first met Emma, Jamie said: “Perry [Billy] told me to chat her up, and I remember walking over to her and saying, ‘Alright darlin’…, wow, you smell nice.’

“It brought the house down and we still laugh about it now.

“I love working with Emma. I won’t say what it is, but we have something in common that’s very rare and very special that brings us together.

“I still try and chat her up and say that one day, we’ll get married, but she’s having none of it,” the actor told The Sun

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