BBC EastEnders star Lacey Turner gives birth and says 'our hearts are full' after tragic losses

EastEnders' Lacey Turner has announced the arrival of her third child with husband Matt Kay. The 36 year old actress, known for her long-running role as Stacey Slater, shared a heartwarming photo of her two older children showering their new sibling with kisses to announced the happy news.

She captioned the sweet photo: "Our hearts are full." Lacey and Matt, who tied the knot in 2017, are already parents to five year old Dusty and three year old Trilby.

Lacey hasn't yet announced the name of the new arrival, but she was quickly met with well wishes by her co-stars and fans. Lorraine Stanley, who played Karen Taylor in the BBC soap, wrote: "Congratulations to you all ! ! ! what beautiful photos,big love and hugs."

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Jacqueline Jossa, who plays Lauren Branning, added: "So special! Congratulations angel all of you! ! Beautiful x," while another fan added: "Congratulations to you all Gutted that will also mean Stacey won't be in EastEnders for a while x".

Lacey has announced her pregnancy in September with a family photo at the beach. The photo showed the family holding up her pregnancy scan, and Lacey captioned it: "Aren't we lucky..... @thekayoskids" alongside several heart emojis.

Lacey first appeared in EastEnders in 2004 and has been a fan favourite ever since. She met husband Matt Kay, who was her teenage sweetheart, at a friend's house when they were just 15 and have remained together since, something she considers herself "really lucky" for.

They exchanged vows in 2017. Tragically, she experienced two miscarriages before welcoming her two "miracle" children, daughter Dusty Violet and son Trilby Fox.

She has since spoken about how opting for private healthcare aided her in having her children. "If I'd not gone private I'd probably still have no babies," she revealed to The Sun newspaper. "There wasn't really any aftercare. I was told that I'd had a miscarriage and that was it. I really felt quite overwhelmed and lost during our miscarriages.

"We found ourselves confused. We had no explanation, just a sudden feeling of the excitement of having a baby to feeling completely empty and lost. To go through that once is hard enough. Earlier doctors' advice and support would have helped."

She further stated: "We were lucky enough to go to a private specialist. Everyone should have that opportunity. It's great that the subject of miscarriage is becoming less of a taboo subject. There are great charities which can help."