EastEnders favourite Lacey Turner expressed the challenges she faced after her maternity leave from Albert Square, finding herself expecting once more immediately upon her return.
The acclaimed actress, famed for her portrayal of Stacey Slater, recently welcomed her third little one, Gipsy Olive, to her growing family which includes daughter Dusty Violet and son Trilby.
Following Dusty’s arrival in July 2019, Lacey planned a nine-month maternity break that unexpectedly extended to a full year due to the Covid-19 lockdown. And so, when it was time to go back to work again, she was already carrying Trilby.
Speaking up about the dilemma she faced on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, Lacey said: “I went back pregnant! Imagine that phone call?
Here’s what Lacey Turner gets up to in her working day
“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 a sense of guilt, Lacey’s dedication to the long-running soap remains unwavering. She notably participated in the landmark live episode marking EastEnders’ 40th anniversary mere weeks following the birth of baby Gipsy.
Now aged 37, Lacey reflected on her eagerness to be involved, remembering a pivotal chat with an EastEnders executive: “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.”
She also opened up about her emotional reaction upon learning about the heart-wrenching storyline involving her co-star James Bye, who portrays Martin Fowler, admitting she “couldn’t speak”.
Despite recently welcoming her third child, she demonstrated her dedication by returning to filming promptly. She even shot numerous scenes while heavily pregnant.
With a chuckle, she shared why she prefers working up until childbirth, 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.”
