EastEnders star Lacey Turner has opened up about the guilt she felt after returning from maternity leave and the awkward phone call she had to make to her boss
EastEnders star Lacey Turner has spoken about once returning to Albert Square after maternity leave, only to find herself pregnant again.
The actress, who portrays Stacey Slater, recently welcomed her third child, Gipsy Olive, into the world. She is also a mother to another daughter named Dusty Violet and a son called Trilby.
Dusty was born in July 2019, and Lacey took nine months of maternity leave, which was extended to a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This meant that by the time she came back to work, she was already expecting Trilby.
Lacey discussed the guilt she felt on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, saying: “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 February and I came back in August.”
Despite feeling guilty about her time away from work, Lacey’s dedication to her role is unquestionable. After all, she participated in the show’s live 40th anniversary episode just weeks after giving birth to Gipsy Olive.
The 37-year-old actress expressed her eagerness to be part of the live episode, recalling a previous conversation with an EastEnders boss: “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 shared her heartbreak and admitted she “couldn’t speak” after learning about the tragic storyline involving her co-star James Bye, who plays Martin Fowler.
Dedicated to the cause, she even shot many scenes while heavily pregnant. And laughing, she explained why she prefers 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.”
