Sid Owens has revealed he is getting married to girlfriend Victoria Shores and they are expecting their first child together.
49-year-old Sid, who played iconic character, Ricky Butcher, in EastEnders, and Victoria rekindled their romance after they found each other on Facebook during the pandemic.
After years as a single man, he got in touch with old flame Victoria after the pair first met 20 years ago at a party thrown by Ronnie Wood.
The soap legend says he knew she was “the one” after they began talking again, writes The Mirror.
He popped the question last month and now reveals Victoria’s baby is due in January.
(Image: Getty Images)
He said: “I never ever dreamt I would have kids. The older you get the more distant that idea seems, you give up hope sometimes, so it is a miracle it has happened.
“We’d spoken about it when we talked about marriage but I just didn’t think it was going to happen. I was completely shocked and over the moon.”
(Image: BBC)
The pair know the sex of the baby but mum’s the word.
Victoria, 42, a mum-of-two, says Sid will be a “child” father, with Sid adding: “I’m glad I am doing it now rather than in my 20s, I would have been a rubbish dad then. Vic wants to lose her weight and we want the baby at the wedding – just sat in a pram looking pretty.”
The chuffed star says he nearly gave up on love following a freak golf accident in January last year where he was temporarily disfigured.
He broke his jaw, lost several teeth, and needed £10,000 of surgery after a ball struck him in the face – with the injuries destroying his confidence.
Lockdown was tough for the actor because of the accident and he rarely left the house and he “got stuck in a rut”.
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He gushed: “For the first time in my life I felt someone was not with me for that shallowness or fame or whatever, she just accepts me for me.”
The pair first dated in 1998 after meeting at a party thrown by Rolling Stone’s Ronnie Wood, but after a gap of more than 20 years, they began chatting again o social media.
Sid also sought Victoria’s dad’s permission before popping the question during a romantic stay in the bridal suite at Eastwell Manor spa in Kent.
Pals from TV’s Queen Vic will be invited to the big day, with Charlie Brooks – who plays Janine – Patsy Palmer, who portrayed Bianca and coined the famous “Rickaaaaaaay” – and Sid’s hoping Patsy will DJ on the night.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
