EastEnders star Lacey Turner, who recently returned to Walford after giving birth to her daughter Dusty, has opened up about her plans to stay on the soap for good.
The 32-year-old actress confirmed she plans to stay in the East End as Stacey Slater until she reaches 90 – making like one of the soap’s most iconic stars.
Speaking to OK! magazine, Lacey, who recently announced she is expecting her second child, confessed she planned to “do a June Brown” and stay on the soap until she is elderly.
June left the soap as Dot Cotton earlier this year, after more than three decades rooted at the heart of Walford.
Confirming her fate on the show, Lacey said: “I’d love to stay there until I’m 90! I just love working there and I love my character.
This week EastEnders viewers will see Lacey’s character Stacey Slater return to Walford (Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes)
“Plus, I manage to have a good work/life balance as we only live down the road from the studio, so I’m usually home for [daughter] Dusty’s bath and bed.”
EastEnders fans were thrilled to learn Stacey would be making a comeback this autumn, after several months of absence for her maternity leave.
Since she left, her best pal Ruby Martin (Louisa Lytton) has taken up with her beau, Martin Fowler (James Bye), who was left broken-hearted by her sudden disappearance.
This week will see the warring pals lock horns as Stacey reappears on the scene, potentially causing a permanent rift.
June Brown appeared in Eastenders as Dot Cotton for 35 years (Image: BBC)
However, actress Lacey’s pregnancy news means another exit could be on the horizon, as she welcomes baby number two with husband Matt Kay.
Making the heartwarming announcement in an interview with OK!, Lacey said: “We feel so lucky to be expecting our second, as it took so long and there was so much heartache getting Dusty here.”
She added: “After last time, we learned the best way was to have the attitude of ‘if it happens it happens’ – and then it did! It was a lovely surprise.
Lacey gave birth to her first child, daughter Dusty, in July of last year (Image: Lacey Turner/Instagram)
“It took so long with Dusty, but now they’re coming along like buses! After the heartbreak we went through, it’s a miracle to fall pregnant so quickly.”
Lacey tragically suffered two miscarriages before giving birth to little Dusty in July 2019, making the pregnancy news all the more special for the proud parents.
Over the moon to watch their family grow, her husband Matt told the publication: “We didn’t know if it was going to take years again so it was an amazing surprise.”
Eastenders airs on Mondays at 8.05pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7.35pm and Fridays at 8.30pm on BBC One.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
