EastEnders fans, prepare for a dose of unexpected behind-the-scenes drama! Beloved actress Lacey Turner, known for her powerful portrayal of Stacey Slater, has just revealed the utterly embarrassing way her co-stars stumbled upon the secret of her third pregnancy. It turns out, even a soap opera queen can’t hide exhaustion from her colleagues, especially when trapped in a Winnebago!

Lacey recently welcomed her newest bundle of joy, a beautiful baby girl named Gipsy Olive, at the beginning of this year. Remarkably, the dedicated actress returned to the BBC soap less than a month later to play a pivotal role in the show’s highly anticipated live episode. But before she headed off on maternity leave, Lacey found herself in a sticky situation that forced her hand with “The Six” women of EastEnders.

The Winnebago Confession: When Exhaustion Spilled the Beans

Opening up on the “Happy Mum, Happy Baby” podcast with host Giovanna Fletcher, Lacey confessed that severe tiredness during filming for Dean Wicks’ intense court scenes led to the unplanned revelation. “I was literally falling asleep filming the court scenes for Dean,” Lacey admitted. “My head was on the table. The director must have thought, ‘What has got into her?’ Because I’m not like someone who relaxes; I’m always up and about and I didn’t help.”

The situation was made even more challenging by the confined space. “I was in a room full of like, men who had no idea what was going on,” she recalled. However, it was her female co-stars from the infamous “Six” storyline who first caught on. “I could tell like I was filming with the six women, you know, the six and all…. We was in the Winnebago, and they were like, ‘Oh, how are you feeling?'”

With nowhere left to hide her overwhelming fatigue, Lacey had no choice but to spill the beans. “And I was like, ‘Well, I’m actually pregnant.’ And they all literally fell to their knees. And I was like, ‘You’re the first people I’ve told!’” she recounted, laughing at the memory. “Because I thought they must be thinking like, ‘What is she doing? Why do you keep falling asleep everywhere?’ I wasn’t going to get away with it.”

Lacey highlighted the unique predicament of her workplace: “Normally you can pop up to your dressing room, but I didn’t have a dressing room to hide. I had nowhere to hide. I’m just stuck in the Winnebago with everyone looking at me.” It’s a testament to the close-knit nature of the cast that they were so observant and supportive. Lacey, who plays Stacey Slater, is also a proud mom to Dusty, five, and three-year-old son Trilby, whom she shares with her childhood sweetheart husband, Matt Kay, whom she married in Ibiza in 2017.

Walford Exits and Hollywood Dreams: EastEnders Stars Beyond the Square

Beyond Lacey’s adorable pregnancy reveal, the world of EastEnders continues to see its fair share of cast changes, with some familiar faces departing Walford and others finding surprising success. Michelle Collins, whose character Cindy Beale made a shocking “back-from-the-dead” return last year, has seen her bank balance significantly boosted by her second stint on the show, reportedly bouncing back from a company account low of £20,000.

However, 2024 has also seen notable departures. Loyal fans recently noted that Stevie Mitchell, played by veteran actor Alan Ford, had “quit” the series after just six months on screen. Bobby Beale actor Clay Milner Russell also made his exit this year after five years in Walford. While there have been fan fears that James Bye (Martin Fowler) might “quit out of boredom” over recent storylines, he remains a fixture for now.

EastEnders has also proven to be a springboard for Hollywood fame for many of its stars. Rob Kazinsky, who played Stacey Slater’s brother Sean Slater from 2006 to 2009, went on to star in blockbusters like Pacific Rim and Captain Marvel. Ben Hardy, who left his role as Bobby Beale almost a decade ago, broke into Hollywood the following year, appearing as Archangel in X-Men: Apocalypse, followed by roles as Roger Taylor in the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody and in Michael Bay’s Netflix movie 6 Underground. Even Michelle Ryan, who played Zoe Slater until 2005, famously starred as the lead in the short-lived American series Bionic Woman.