Natalie Cassidy announced she is pregnant

Natalie Cassidy has announced she is pregnant with her first child following a whirlwind romance of just nine months.

The actress, who shot to fame as a teenager playing Sonia Jackson in EastEnders, is 12 weeks pregnant by her transport manager boyfriend Adam Cottrell.

After meeting last June at the Isle of Wight music festival, the pair moved in together just a month later and the former Strictly Come Dancing contestant and her partner soon began planning to have a family.

News of the pregnancy is incredibly welcome for the 26-year-old, as she feared she would never be able to have children after being diagnosed with polycystic ovaries, which can cause fertility problems.

While everything is going well for Natalie in her life away from the London soap opera, things are beginning to get dramatic on screen, with Max Branning confronting Stacey about her confession over the murder of Archie Mitchell.

Til tomorrow Lola Maniche